Dangerous
by Addie Logan
Summary: It's 2021, and Connor Angel has built a life for himself outside of the world of demons. But when his father asks him for a favor, he finds out how quickly that can change…
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ or _Angel_. Anne, however, (no matter how unoriginal her name is) is mine. "Dangerous" is Ghost of the Robot.

Rating: M (This fic deals with an underage girl with an older man, so if that bothers you, don't complain to me. Although really, if you watched the shows, you should be used to it…)

Summary: It's 2021, and Connor Angel has built a life for himself outside of the world of demons. But when his father asks him for a favor, he finds out how quickly that can change…

Spoilers: It's post the end of both shows, so I'm going to say everything…

Author's Note: This was one of those little plot bunnies that was sort of hopping around in the back of my mind for a while, and I basically managed to ignore. But then I started to discuss bits of it with Niamh, and once again, she led me to want to write something right now. So this one's her fault, too.

I know Connor wasn't exactly the world's most popular character, and yeah, sometimes I wanted to beat him with a stick, too. Like the Cordelia thing. Ew… But all in all, I kinda liked the guy. A little psycho, but he had his reasons. I always wondered how he'd end up, how everything he'd been through as a child and young man would affect him as an adult. And then this idea struck me, so I decided to write it. I'm not really writing this in hopes that it'll be extremely popular, but because it's something I want to do. But hey, if a few people out there actually like it, well, I'll be good with that…

Feedback and Archiving: Feedback, good or bad, is what keeps a writer going. Gotta let us know you're out there reading… I'm okay with archiving, just be polite and ask my permission first so I can see what site you're wanting to put it on before I give the okay. Honestly with this fic, even if you know of a place where I could possibly archive it, let me know. Most of my normal archiving sites are pairing specific, and this won't fit, and I'm curious to know if there's any other places out there that would take it.

* * *

Dangerous  
By: Addie Logan

* * *

**_I don't think you know my name  
And I think you'd leave me standin' in the rain  
You're a pretty little girl got a thing for me  
But you'd cut me open and let me bleed _**

But I'll be looking at you with your long brown hair  
Pretty little feet, sparkling everywhere  
You look so good when you come my way  
But I have to look down when you talk to me

'Cause you're dangerous,  
You're Dangerous  
You're Dangerous  
And you don't even know it

One baby, two, maybe three more years  
You'll be a full grown baby, have all your curves  
But here's a little taste of irony  
You'll be a ten hot lady, too good for me

But I'll be looking at you with your long brown hair  
Pretty little feet, sparkling everywhere  
You look so good when you come my way  
But I have to look down when you talk to me

'Cause you're dangerous  
You're Dangerous  
You're Dangerous  
And you don't even know it

So little girl, you better stay set  
You're playin with fire when you get too wet  
So set me down and leave me be  
You find a devil when you unchain me

* * *

Los Angeles, California, 2021

_When he met Laura, he'd been trying to forget._

_When he met Anne, he couldn't help but remember._

Connor saw her the moment he walked into the lobby of his father's hotel. She was leaning across the desk, laughing at something Angel had said, her brown-streaked-with-blonde hair falling to one side of her face, giving Connor a clear view of her porcelain features from where he was standing. He stopped, staring at her. There was nothing else he could do.

Sensing his son's presence, Angel looked up from behind the desk, his attention gone from the woman there with him. "Connor. You showed up."

Connor blinked, turning his focus on the vampire. "Uh, yeah. You said you needed my help with something."

"I know. But usually when I say that…"

"You made it sound important."

"It is."

Connor crossed his arms over his chest, a serious look on his face as he tried to keep his eyes on Angel and not the girl. Something about her was screaming to him, and it was as unnerving as it was alluring. "Then spit it out. I have a life to get back to, you know."

"Laura's out of town, isn't she?"

Connor frowned. Why was Angel asking about his wife? He never asked about his wife. "Yes. She's visiting with her mother for the next couple of weeks. Why?"

"Because I need a favor from you, and I know how she gets about that."

Yeah, Connor knew, too. Laura didn't like him doing anything that could get him killed. Made sense really when you thought about it. "You know how I feel about doing favors for you, Angel. I'm not any more enthusiastic about them than Laura is."

"I know, and I wouldn't ask if it wasn't something I really needed. But Anne's in trouble, and I need to get her someplace where no one would think to look. Her parents sent her here for that reason, but, well, she's still pretty much a target here in the hotel."

Connor's brow furrowed. It would help a lot if his father would speak in sentences that made sense. "Who's Anne?"

The girl spoke for the first time then, her hand raising slightly. "I am."

Connor turned to her again then, noticing the way she smiled slightly at him, and the hint of mischief in her eyes. He heard a warning sound lightly in the back of his mind. This girl was dangerous. "What's the trouble?"

"Someone's trying to kill me—again."

Her voice was soft and warm, her accent belying an English origin. Connor deemed it as beautiful as the rest of her. "Oh? Who?"

"That's what we don't know," Angel answered for her. "But whoever it is, it seems like they're going directly after her. She lives surrounded by other possible targets, but all the attacks have been personal. Her parents thought that with me would be the last place anyone would look for her, but I can't watch her all the time."

"I don't really need a babysitter, you know," Anne said, flipping her hair.

"I know," Angel conceded. His expression was impassive, but Connor knew his father enough to know that he was frustrated. He wondered what kind of grief Anne had been giving him. "But it would be easier to fight off whatever might come for you if someone is with you."

Anne ran her eyes over Connor's form, making him suddenly quite uncomfortable. There was something almost predatory in her gaze. "Can he fight?"

Angel looked offended. "He's my son."

"All the more reason to ask the question," Anne replied.

"I can fight," Connor said. He almost wished something would crash in right now so he could show her. He felt a need to prove his strength to this woman. "And I'll help her."

Angel arched an eyebrow. Connor was being agreeable? That was rare. He sniffed the air. Oh. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…

But it was all he really had right now. He'd promised to look after this girl, and if something happened to her… Besides, Connor was married. It's not like he'd do anything to ruin what he had with Laura. His son was smarter than that. "Would you be willing to let her stay with you for a few days? We have reason to believe that the people after her have followed her to the States, and I want to see if I can find them and get word back to her parents."

Now Connor knew the real reason why Angel had asked if Laura was gone. She'd never stand for another woman in the house like that, especially if it was someone connected to his father. "Yeah, sure."

"I know this is asking a lot, Connor, and I'm really grateful," Angel said.

"It's no problem. I mean, if she's in trouble, and I can help…"

"Well, if I'm staying with him now should I get my things and be off then?"

Angel turned towards Anne again. "Um, yeah. Probably should get it done quickly before anyone's had a chance to trace you even this far."

"Whatever you think is best, Peaches," Anne replied, pushing off from the counter. "I'll be back in a moment."

After Anne had left the lobby, Angel said, "She's sixteen, you know?"

Connor blinked. "Huh?"

"I saw you watching her just now, and then again when she was walking off. Just letting you know, she's sixteen."

"Dad, I'm married. Besides, you're the one with the history of cradle robbing. I tend to go the other way around."

Angel's eyes darkened for a moment at the memory, but he said nothing. Connor was glad. He'd said it with the express purpose of shutting the other man up. "Is there anything else I should know about her?" Connor asked.

"There's not much. We don't really know what's going on here other than the mortal danger part. Her parents are working on that, obviously, so hopefully it'll all be cleared up soon."

Connor knew there was plenty he wasn't being told, but with his father he'd gotten used to that. "All right then."

* * *

When Anne came back, she had a bag slung over her shoulder. "So are we going now, Connor? As _amusing_ as your father is, I think I've had my fill of this place." She smirked, taking extra care to infuse her words with a healthy dose of sarcasm. 

Connor liked the way she said his name. It made him shiver the way it rolled from her mouth. "Yeah, I guess. Dad, is there anything else?"

"Don't let her get killed."

"Yeah, I sort of figured that much."

"And Anne, stay put. This is serious, and…"

"I know. I'll be on my best behavior. Or possibly someone else's best behavior would be better…"

Connor wondered then what exactly he'd just agreed to. This girl was oozing danger, and he was welcoming her into his home while his wife was away. Maybe he should… No. She was in trouble, and if Angel was coming to him for help, it was serious. "Not a lot of trouble to get into at my house. Laura sees to that."

Anne gave Connor an all-too-knowing smirk. "I bet she does."

Connor swallowed hard. "Um, so, how is this working exactly, Angel?"

"I'll contact you once it blows over," Angel said. They shared a look that communicated the unspoken _or if it gets worse…_

"All right then. Anne?"

Anne approached Connor, linking her arm with his. The first touch sent a jolt through him, and he caught Angel's disapproving look from the corner of his eye. "Been fun, Broody," Anne said, flashing Angel a grin. "See you around sometime." She led Connor out of the hotel and he went along without complaint.

Connor watched Anne as she examined his living room, her bag still over her shoulder. She went to a side table, picking up the edge of the piece of lace she found there before letting it flop back down. "Doilies, huh?"

"My wife does the decorating."

"It's very…domestic." Anne picked up a picture in an ornate silver frame. "This your wedding day?"

"That would explain the white, frilly dress and the tux."

"How long ago was that?"

"Almost ten years."

"You don't look any older."

"I do a little."

Anne frowned as she examined the picture closer. "Not really. How old are you now?"

"Thirty seven."

"You don't look it."

Connor took the picture from her and set it back on the table. "Why don't I show you the guest room? You've got to be tired, what with all the running for your life you've been doing."

"Not really. I'm sort of wired, actually. Got anything to eat?"

"Um, not much since Laura usually does the shopping, but there's probably something in there."

She handed her bag to Connor. "Put this where ever I'm supposed to sleep, and I'll raid your kitchen."

Connor gaped for a moment before trading his surprise in for bemusement. Things that would've seemed bratty coming from anyone else seemed to fit Anne. She had an air of self-assuredness about her, a control of her surroundings that was unusual for someone her age. Every move she made was if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

He went into the guestroom, dropping Anne's bag on the bed. He paid attention to the décor of the room for the first time since he'd lived there, wincing slightly as he imagined what Anne's response would be. He couldn't picture her in a bed with ruffled, floral sheets.

He could, however, picture her in a bed… Connor fought to get that image out of his mind, turning his eyes down to his wedding ring. It really wouldn't do for him to be having lust-filled thoughts about this girl, especially if she was going to be staying in his house. It didn't matter how much she seemed to be affecting him…

Connor shook his head. He wasn't going to let someone with connections to his father disrupt his life. He'd fought too hard to fit in somewhere, and he couldn't lose it now.

Connor went into the kitchen, finding Anne sitting on the counter with a bag of chips. He leaned against the fridge, his arms crossed as he regarded her for a moment. "We have chairs, you know."

"I saw 'em. But your counter looked nice and clean, so I figured it was safe enough to touch." She ate a chip, then said, "You were right about the cupboard being rather bare. Were you planning on starving yourself while the wife is away?"

"I get a lot of take-out when she's gone.."

"Does she leave you all by yourself often?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

Anne shrugged. "Just making conversation."

"If anyone should be asking the questions, it should be me," Connor said. "You're staying in my house, and I don't know much about you at all."

"Not much to know. I'm really rather boring."

Somehow, Connor doubted that. "So why are you here then? 'Boring' doesn't usually involve having people trying to kill you."

"Yeah, well, when you grow up the way I did, that's nothing special. And I'm here because I was in a bit of a spot. Thought your da could help with that."

"That's what he does—helps the helpless."

"I'm not helpless," Anne said with a snort.

He didn't really think she was. She was too confident to be. The question remained, however, of just how not helpless she was. He wondered if maybe he could goad a little more information out of her. "I don't know, you seem pretty tiny to me. You can't be much more than five feet. How much damage could you do?"

For the first time that evening, Anne looked genuinely surprised. "You don't know who I am."

"How could I? We just met tonight, and neither you nor Angel has been very forthcoming with the information."

Anne gave a short bark of laughter. "You really do keep yourself out of the loop."

"Should I know who you are?"

"I know who you are."

"Oh yeah? Who am I then?"

"The Destroyer."

Connor sucked in a breath, her answer the last one he had expected. "Not anymore."

"Pity."

"No, it really isn't." Connor ran a hand through his hair. "Look, you might not be tired, but I am, so I'm going to call it a night. Do whatever you want, just don't be too loud." He was almost out of the kitchen when he felt Anne's hand on his arm. He frowned, his initial thought that she moved damn fast. His second was that her hand felt way too good on his skin.

"Look, if I touched a nerve, I'm sorry. Didn't mean anything by it, really."

Connor turned and looked down into Anne's eyes. They were so beautiful up close, so expressive. Her scent washed over him, and he wanted to kiss her. Scratch that, he wanted to push her up against the wall right here in his kitchen and… Connor blinked, pulling away from her as if he'd been burned. He didn't even know her and she was having this affect on him. There had to be something wrong here, something making him feel this way. "Uh, no, it's all right. I'm just tired, like I said."

Anne bit her bottom lip in a way that didn't help Connor's current condition one bit. "Oh. Well, good night then."

"Good night." He backed away, then stopped, adding, "Your room in the first door down the hall, to the left. The bathroom's across the hall." Before Anne could say anything else, he was out of the kitchen making his way to his own bedroom. Laura's scent lingered strongly in the room, and he tried to focus on that, reminding himself of his wife.

It wasn't helping. It seemed oppressive.

_Not at all like Anne's_…

Connor growled in frustration. She had to be doing something to him, messing with him somehow. She was attractive, sure, but this wasn't normal. He'd never responded this way to a woman so quickly.

He'd have to stay away from her as much as he could until he figured out what was going on. It would be hard with her in his house, but he could do it. He had willpower.

It never once crossed his mind to bring her back to Angel.

* * *

I'm not so sure about this one, so any reviews would be lovely. Please let me know if this is a story you'd be interested in reading more of. 


	2. Chapter Two

Anne flipped the television off in disgust. When the best thing on 859 channels was the Reality Network 4 showing a marathon of _What Will They Eat Up Next,_ it was time to give up.

Connor was still awake. He was on the other side of the house, but somehow she knew. She could feel his presence, feel him affecting her even without being in the same room with him. It was so strong now that she wondered why she hadn't always felt him, even when they'd had a continent and an ocean between them.

_Maybe she always had…_

She'd been struggling since the moment she entered the Hyperion to keep her cool, but she felt as if everything in her life had suddenly been turned upside down. It didn't make any sense how badly she wanted him. She was aching to touch him, fighting a near-overwhelming urge to go to him, despite all the reasons she knew she shouldn't.

Anne pulled her knees up, hugging them to her. She was young, but she far from innocent. She'd felt an attraction to plenty of men before, but it had never been like this. It had never made her feel so out of control.

She had to ignore it. She couldn't do anything with Angel's son. There was too much weirdness involved. She'd have to keep herself in check, keep her cool and her distance.

She gripped her knees tighter, hoping this would all be over soon.

* * *

Anne woke with a start, her eyes darting around the room wildly as she tried to place where she was. Then she remembered, and let out a deep breath. Running her fingers through her hair, she climbed out of the bed, going out the bedroom door and into the hall. She headed towards the kitchen and Connor. She stopped, leaning in the doorway to watch him as he read the newspaper and sipped on a cup of coffee.

"You play normal quite well. Looks like you've got the role down pat."

Connor glanced up, meaning to respond with some sort of come back, but barely managing to make a sound at the sight of her with bed tousled hair and wearing a small, tight tank top and cotton shorts. He coughed before finally gathering his wits enough to ask, "Sleep well?"

"Well enough." Anne walked over to the table, pulling out a chair close to him and sitting down. "I suppose there's no more food in the house today than there was yesterday."

"No. A little less, actually, seeing as I had some toast before you came in here."

"You need to learn how to find a grocery store."

"Are you constantly hungry, or do you just get a thrill out of harassing me?"

Anne smirked. "A bit of both."

"If it'll make you happy, we can go to the grocery store later. You can get whatever it is you eat."

"Aww. You make a girl feel special."

She leaned forward slightly, and Connor cleared his throat, willing his gaze away from her chest. "So what exactly happened to bring you to LA?" he asked, deciding the best course of action would be changing the subject as quickly as possible. "I mean, if I'm going to protect you, I should know a few more of the details. What are we up against?"

Anne almost smiled at his use of the word "we." It seemed fitting somehow to think of her and Connor as a team. "Demons. Scaly. With robes."

"Robes?"

"Yeah. Big ones. And yet, they still managed to fight amazingly well."

Anne shifted, and Connor picked up on a change in her mood. She was nervous. These demons had her spooked, and he could tell she wasn't the type to get easily scared. He reached out almost involuntarily to place a comforting hand on her arm. Anne jumped, feeling the same thrill rush through her that had been there when she'd touched him in a similar fashion the night before. Connor pulled back quickly, and she looked away from him, an awkwardness taking over in the room.

"So, um, what happened?" Connor asked.

"The first time, I was coming home from school with my brother, and they jumped me. And I mean just me. He tried to help me, and they swatted him aside, telling him that he didn't concern them, only the vessel."

"The vessel? That you?"

"I assume so. They keep calling me that anyway. They were going on about a prophecy and that vessel thing. People I know are looking in to it."

Connor frowned. The word "prophecy" tended to make him jumpy. He'd seen too many of them lead to badness. "You said 'the first time.' They've attacked you more than once?"

"Four times at last count. And every time, it's geared specifically towards me. No matter who I'm with, I'm the one they want to kill. Kinda makes a girl feel special. You know, in that scared out of my mind sort of way."

Connor was silent for a moment, her admission to being scared taking him by surprise. He'd pegged her for the type that never allowed herself that kind of vulnerability. He reached over again, this time taking her hand. "It'll be okay, Anne. You're in my protection now, and I won't let anything hurt you."

Anne felt her stomach flip, and she wanted to pull away from him, though she felt glued to the spot. She wasn't used to this. The lust—albeit stronger than usual with him—was something that she was used to, sure. But what she felt when she looked into his eyes now… She wanted him to hold her, to protect her like he'd just promised. Since when did she care about that?

Her eyes were wide and focused on him, and he could feel a small tremble in her hand. Instead of pulling back this time, Connor started to caress it with his thumb, unable to stop himself. Her skin was so soft, so warm to the touch... Her breath quickened, and Connor felt drawn to her, leaning in kiss before he could think about it.

The moment their lips touched, all tenderness ceased. Connor growled low in his throat. He stood, pulling her out of the chair and pushing her back on the table, his mouth staying on hers with a ferocity that made Anne groan. This was territory she was used to, something she could understand.

His mouth trailed down to her neck, licking and nipping at the flesh, and Anne cried out, thrusting her hips against his and pulling him closer to her. She could still remember her vow from the night before to not do this, but at the moment, she didn't care. If this was how Connor could make her body feel, then her brain could take a vacation…

She heard a ringing, and wondered for a moment if it was just in her ears before she heard a strange voice from somewhere that seemed far away.

"Connor…Connor, if you're there, pick up the phone…Okay, well, you're not at work either, so I don't know…"

The voice stopped when Connor jumped away from Anne and ran to the phone, grabbing it from the cradle. "Hey, Laura. I'm here."

Anne rolled her eyes, standing up to smooth down her clothes. The wife... Great. Just what she bloody needed.

"Oh, I was, um, out jogging. Just came in."

Anne raised an eyebrow, and Connor turned away from her, putting his focus on the phone conversation. Anne had a sudden possessive urge to grab it from him, to tell Laura to stay the hell away from him, when she remembered that wasn't supposed to be what she wanted. She was _supposed_ to be grateful that they were interrupted before things went too far.

"I know I'm not at work today. I'm not going to get fired, Laura—I have sick days. Yes, I called in. I'm not being irresponsible, I just couldn't go in today. I had…things to do! There…there's a problem with the plumbing in the kitchen. I needed to fix it."

Anne couldn't help but snicker at that. It had seemed like all the plumbing was working just fine to her…

"No, everything's fine. Why would anything be wrong? So did you call for anything specific, or… Oh, okay. That's good. No! I don't mean I don't want you home! I just…I meant it's good for your mother having you there a couple of extra days. No…Laura, please don't… I…fine. Yeah, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"No I love you, my darling?" Anne asked as Connor hung up the phone. "No begging her to run back to your arms instead of spending more time with mummy?"

Connor turned around, narrowing his eyes at Anne. "Stay out of it."

Anne held up her hands. "I'm just making an observation. Seems to me like there's a bit of trouble in suburban paradise."

"My marriage is fine," Connor snapped.

"Sure," Anne replied with a smirk. "Must be why you were moments away from banging me on the kitchen table before she so rudely interrupted."

"Go get dressed, and we'll go to the store," Connor replied evenly.

"Are you sure, cause we could…"

"No! Dammit, I'm married, and whatever just happened there was a horrible mistake I won't be repeating. Now go get dressed if you want to get something to eat."

Anne shrugged. "Fine. Your loss."

Before Anne could blink, Connor was back again, pushing her against the table. "You don't know what you're playing with, little girl," he said, his voice almost a growl. "I'm not one of the boys you probably have back home, young and stupid enough to play your games."

His reaction startled her, but Anne didn't let it show. Instead she gave him a sultry grin and replied, "I know exactly what you are. And I know you want to play…" She leaned forward, giving his neck a long lick.

Connor pushed away from her suddenly, his eyes wide. "You…don't do that."

"Why? Did you like it? No point in lying, because I know you did…"

"You're…you…just stop it."

Anne shrugged, although internally she was grinning. Looked like she'd ended up on top this go round… "I'll go get dressed now," she said, making sure to give her hips just enough swish as she left the kitchen.

Connor sat down in a chair, taking deep breaths. He was in trouble, and he knew it.

* * *

Connor watched Anne as she threw things into the grocery cart. He tried not to think about the extremely tight red top she was wearing that he was sure had been picked out just to torment him. Maybe if he could convince her that she couldn't affect him, she'd stop being so damn tempting.

Yeah, and maybe his father would decide to take up salsa dancing…

"So you, um, eat a lot of meat I take it," he said, looking at what she'd chosen.

"Your point?" Anne wrinkled up her nose. "Laura isn't one of those people who are convinced that food is supposed to taste like plastic is she?"

"She likes to eat healthily," Connor said with a cough.

"Ugh. I figured. You've got to be going crazy."

"I like her cooking."

"Don't lie to me."

Connor sighed. "Okay, so I don't, but I eat it."

"She's not right for you, you know. For what you are. She doesn't get you."

He stiffened. "And what, after knowing me not even a whole day you do?"

"Well, yeah. I mean sure, I don't know your whole life story or whether you prefer apple or oranges, but I know what makes you tick. There's something primal in you, something dark desperate to claw its way out." Anne walked around to him, placing her hand against his chest, right above his heart. "I can feel it in you, Connor. And I know you can feel it in me, too."

Connor swallowed hard. She was right, and it terrified him as much as it intrigued him. "What are you?" he asked.

"I think you know the answer to that."

His heart beat faster beneath her hand, and Connor forgot about the world around them. She was wild, untamed, everything he wouldn't let himself be…

Because he couldn't. People got hurt that way. She was right, there was something primal inside of him, but he'd buried it for a reason. What she was offering, he couldn't have. He pulled away. "Let's just finish up here, okay?"

Anne slowly drew the hand that had been on Connor's chest down to her side. He made her head spin, made her feel pulled in so many different directions. She wanted to keep him at arms length, wanted to brush away the pull he had on her. But then she was with him, near him, and none of the reasons why she shouldn't give in made any sense anymore. She turned away from him, concentrating on the groceries again.

"I like apples."

Anne turned, her brow creased. "What?"

"You said the thing earlier, about apples or oranges. It's apples."

She smiled at him. "I like strawberries."

"Wasn't one of the choices."

"That's never stopped me before."

"I bet it hasn't."

"I'm done over here. Let's go get some ice cream."

"Meat and ice cream? That's what you eat?"

"And strawberries," she said with a wink.

Connor chuckled. "Let's go get you some ice cream."

* * *

I know I didn't post anything on this story for a long time, but there was a reason for that. My life has been hectic, and I haven't had a lot of time to write. I didn't get a lot of response to the first chapter of this story, so I decided to concentrate on fics that people actually seemed to be reading. So if you are reading this, and you want more of it faster, please leave me a review letting me know what you think, so I can know if I need to make updates more frequent or not. 


	3. Chapter Three

Connor watched Anne eat with fascination. She ate politely, with surprisingly good table manners for someone as brash as her, but what fascinated him was how _much_ she ate. She was small, barely over five feet tall, with a build that made Connor wonder if it were possible for her to blow away in a strong wind. Yet she ate enough to satisfy someone three times her size. "You're not a binge eater, are you?" he asked suddenly.

Anne rolled her eyes. "Afraid I'm going to throw up all over your house?"

"I…where do you keep it?"

"Hollow leg." At Connor's dirty look, Anne giggled. "I have a really fast metabolism. Besides, you starved me."

"Remind me not to do that again."

"I will. Loudly and often."

"I have no doubt that you will."

A silence followed as Anne finished eating before speaking again. "Have you heard anything from your father?"

"No. But it'll be tonight before he goes looking for whoever's after you. He's got that problem with sunlight and all."

"If he even looks," Anne said, rolling her eyes.

"He will. Your parents wanted him to help you, didn't they?"

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean he will. He's already pawned me off on you, and seeing as those things haven't shown up since I left England, I doubt he'll be in all that much of a rush to search for them in the LA area."

"But he said there was reason to believe they'd tracked you to Los Angeles. He'll keep his eyes open and get word out if there's trouble."

"You have a lot of faith in a man that, rumor has it, you don't much like."

"He's my father," Connor answered simply.

"Is he why you stayed in LA? Or I guess I should say, why you came back. Although even when you left, you went to Ireland, so I suppose you were trying to keep a connection with him in one way or another."

Connor looked at her with surprise. "How did you know I went to Ireland? That was years ago, before I even met Laura. You'd have been a child then."

"I wasn't even born when you left. But I was four when you stopped off in England for a bit before coming back here."

Connor was confused for only a moment before realization began to sink in and it all clicked into place. Suddenly, the answers to all his questions concerning the woman in front of him were so blindingly obvious that he felt like an idiot for not knowing who she was immediately. "You're Anne Summers. You're Buffy's daughter."

"And you finally caught on. Looks like your mental capacity is about as large as your father's."

Connor didn't respond to Anne's bit of snark, his mind turning too fast. It made sense now, why Angel was so eager to get Anne away from him. Looking at her now that he realized who she was, Connor could see a good bit of her mother in her features. Angel hadn't been able to look at her, hadn't been able to have such a tangible reminder of how things had turned out for him almost twenty years earlier.

And then there was Connor's attraction to Anne and what _that_ meant in all of this. She was the same age now as Buffy had been when she'd first met Angel. Was he more like his father than he'd known? Was he somehow genetically programmed to enter into a tragic, doomed relationship with this woman? He stood up, running his hands through his hair.

"Um, Connor. Are you still in there?"

"Sorry, I was just…This is…you're…wow."

"Tell me about it, sparky."

"And this thing between us, it's…"

Anne quirked an eyebrow. "There's a 'thing' between us?"

"You know what I mean," Connor said with a frown.

Anne crossed her arms in front of her. "'Fraid I don't. Care to enlighten me?"

"You were there for that kiss, too."

Anne got up from the table then and walked over to Connor, placing her hands against his chest. "Maybe you need to refresh my memory?"

Connor reacted how Anne knew he would. He jumped back from her, despite the fact she could practically taste his desire it was rolling off of him so strongly. "Don't play these games with me," he said as he backed away. "You know what's happened here as well as I do. But you also have to know that this is very, very wrong."

Anne shrugged. "Wrong's never stopped me before."

"Well, it should, dammit! There are certain lines that shouldn't be crossed, things that shouldn't be done."

"Oh, that is bloody rich, coming from a man with your history."

"But that's what it is, Anne—history. I've made mistakes like the one you and I would be making, and I've learned what can happen. What _will_ happen. I'm not going to blow everything I've worked so hard for because some little girl turns my head."

At that, Anne's blue eyes narrowed to an angry gaze. "I'm _not_ a little girl, Connor. Don't you even try to pull this with me. I know you're not happy like this. I know you haven't found inner peace, or whatever the hell you claim this is. You're just trapped in a self-made cage."

Connor took a step towards her, the glint in his eyes becoming dangerously close to Anne's own. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"There's a demon inside you, Connor. No point in denying it—not to me. Wanna know why? Because it's in me, too. I can hear it howling every time you're near. When I'm away from you, I can push it back, but then I'm with you and…" Anne looked down for only a moment before locking her eyes with his again. "I know this is wrong. I'm not a complete idiot. You're married. You're older than me. You're Angel's son. I get all that. But I also know that when I'm with you, none of that matters. Everything gets crazy and makes sense at the same time. You're what makes me feel all jumbled, and you're what makes the pieces fit. And don't you _dare_ try to tell me you don't feel the same way, because I know. That beast inside you, it screams every time we're near each other, same as mine does. Stop fighting it. There's no use anyway."

"I can't! Dammit, why can't you get that? I know I have a dark side, but I also know what it can do. I know what I'm capable of, what I could become. So what if I _want_ to let myself go, to let myself out of this 'cage,' as you put it. So what if I want to grab you right now and fuck you against that table until you can't remember your own name? None of that matters, because if I let myself go, if I give into that beast, someone is going to get hurt."

"Connor, you're not Angelus."

"No. But I could be."

"No, you couldn't! You're not like him!"

"How do you know?"

"Because if you were, you wouldn't care! Because if you were, you wouldn't fight so damn hard to keep yourself in check! Letting yourself be what you are, embracing both sides of your nature, won't make you a monster."

"No? Then tell me this. Who but a monster takes an innocent girl off the street to slaughter? Who but a monster is willing to take the lives of strangers just so someone else feels his pain? Who but a monster would want to torture his own father? I've done those things. Those and more. If I'm not a monster, then I don't know what is."

"I do. And it isn't you." Anne's expression softened, and she tentatively moved closer to him. "I've seen monsters, Connor. I've looked into the face of true evil. That's not what I see what I look at you. What you've done in the past, those were mistakes. You were hurting, and you let that hurt drive you. But what you've done now hasn't healed any of that. All you've done is covered it up, like trying to use a Band-Aid to cover a chasm. And until you embrace your true nature, then…"

"No!" Connor held up his hand. "That part of me is buried, where it belongs. Stop trying to make that any different!"

"Connor, please, listen to me! I know…"

Before Anne could finish, the kitchen window crashed in, five large demons falling in behind the broken glass. "That's them," Anne said, hurrying to stand at Connor's side. "Those are the demons that have been after me."

"Right," Connor replied, looking over the large, scaly beasts now standing in his kitchen. "Guess we're going to have to kill them."

"Destroy the vessel," the demon in front said in a deep, guttural voice. He paused for a second, regarding Connor before showing off his fangs in a disgusting parody of a smile. "And her…mate."

Connor and Anne had time to share only a glance before the demons attacked. They both responded quickly, turning so they stood back to back, able to fend off an attack from either side. Although neither Anne nor Connor said a word, they seemed to know each other's every move, their actions flowing together like a choreographed dance.

As one of the demons lunged, Anne turned slightly, causing the creature to stumble right into the waiting Connor. He grabbed the demon, wrenching its head, then allowing himself a moment to relish the satisfying crack of its neck. The four other demons looked down at their fallen comrade, stopping for only a second before renewing their attack.

Anne kicked one hard, sending it flying. She was sure they could break all of their necks, but she also knew it would be easier if they were armed. She moved so she could catch Connor's eye, and he gave a small nod towards a set of kitchen knives on the counter. Anne crouched down before springing up, flipping over the head of the demon in front of her, and landing at the counter. She grabbed a knife and spun around in one motion, burying it deep in the demon's flesh, twisting until she knew she'd done the job. She pulled the knife from its back before pulling out a second one, this time throwing it to Connor. He caught the knife with ease, bringing it down to slice the demon he'd been battling. He pulled back and thrust, sending the creature lifeless to the ground.

With their three companions dead within a matter of minutes, the remaining demons knew they were in trouble. They started to back away, but both Anne and Connor moved with superhuman speed, killing the last of their foes in synch.

As the bodies fell, Anne and Connor turned to look at each other, the fire of the battle still burning in their eyes. Connor snarled as he crossed the room to her, grabbing Anne and pinning her against the counter. His mouth descended on hers violently, and the blood he could taste on her lips only fueled his desire.

Anne's mind was a haze of lust, both of blood and sex. She growled deep in her throat, wrapping her legs around Connor's waist, knowing there was no turning back now.

* * *

Connor sat next to Anne on the kitchen floor, close, but not touching her. As he came back to himself, the reality of what had just happened sunk in. He had cheated on his wife. He'd cheated on his wife with a sixteen year old girl. A sixteen year old girl who just happened to be the child of two people who would be less than thrilled to see her with Angel's son.

And the sex itself… He'd never been like that before. He'd been wild, no thoughts but an overwhelming desire to be inside her. And then he'd… Connor's eyes grew wide at the memory. "I bit you."

Anne glanced over at him. "And? I bit you, too."

Connor reached up and touched his neck, then pulled his hand back to see blood on his fingers. "Oh."

Anne leaned in. "Don't tell me you didn't like it," she whispered against his ear before giving the neck wound a long, slow lick.

Connor moved quickly away from her. "Don't," he snapped.

"Don't be such a baby. So we bit each other in the heat of passion. Not like it's a big deal."

"Not a big deal! That's not something humans are supposed to do."

"Maybe not the prude you're married to, but drawing blood during sex isn't only a demon thing. Besides, even if it were, neither one of us is exactly pure human."

"I'm not a vampire."

"Well, no, because there's sort of a corpse requirement for that. But the fact that you get off on biting isn't all that shocking."

"It's wrong."

"No, it isn't. You didn't hurt me—in a bad way at least—and it wasn't anything I didn't want."

"It doesn't matter. I acted like an animal. And you're only a sixteen year old girl."

Anne rolled her eyes. "Oh, whatever." She patted his leg. "Well, since you're obviously in too deep of a morality crisis for another round, I'm going to put on some clothes that aren't torn to bits."

Connor nodded, then tried not to stare as Anne walked out of the room. Despite the whirlwind of panic in his mind, his body felt more relaxed than it had in ages. After the good fight and the good… Well, a lot of the physical tension had been drained from his body.

But the guilt kept him from relaxing the way he really wanted to. He cursed himself for being that weak. And now…

His train of self-berating derailed sharply as he realized something from the fight. He got up and went to the guest room, not sure if he was relieved or disappointed to find Anne clothed again. "Didn't you say those demons only attacked you?"

She looked up from where she was sitting on the bed. "Usually. But today…"

"They were after me, too."

Anne nodded. They'd also called Connor her "mate," and she wondered if he'd even noticed. But if that latest attack was any indication, then Connor had a part in this as well.

"We should go to my father's," Connor said. "We're not safe here, and other than the kitchen knives, I don't really have any weapons."

"You don't? That's bloody stupid."

"Laura doesn't like them in the house."

"I guess they don't match the doilies."

"Just get your stuff together."

Anne sighed and stood up. When Connor started to walk out of the room, she said, "I'm not going to let you get away with this for long, you know."

Connor turned back around. "Get away with what?"

"Avoiding having a conversation about what happened in the kitchen. You're putting your focus on the bites or the attack, not all the emotional issues that stirred up."

"There are no emotional issues. We had sex. It was a huge mistake. End of story."

"No. That's not what that was, and you know it. It wasn't mistake sex. I've had mistake sex, and that was not it."

"Anne, I'm an older, married man. Sex between us could never be anything _but_ a mistake."

"Fine. You want to tell yourself that, go right ahead. But we both know it isn't true. What happened in there was beyond either of us. We couldn't stop it then, and we won't be able to stop it from ever happening again."

"I'm calling Angel and then getting some things together. Be ready to leave when I come back."

Anne rolled her eyes. "Okay. You go live in denial."

Connor turned again and walked out of the room.

* * *

Again, sorry for the break in updates. I had a recent death in the family, and that impeded on my ability to write for a while. I'm hoping that my muse is back now, and that I will be able to work on this fic at a steadier pace. However, I really need to see some reviews. This story is one of five works in progress that I currently have, and if I think that nobody's really reading it, then I won't give it the priority that I do my other stories. So if you want more regular updates, please review. Thank you very much to the people who have reviewed so far. You're keeping this story alive.

Also, this fic is part of a series of Post-"Chosen"/Post-"Not Fade Away" fics that I am currently working on putting together. While most of the stories work as stand alones, I will from time to time be referring to events from other stories. It is possible to follow the plot of this fic without reading the others, but if you're curious to see the others that I've started, there's a link on my profile. There is also a link on that page to the unedited version of this fic.


	4. Chapter Four

Connor knew the moment that they walked into the Hyperion that his father knew. The look on his face said it all. Angel turned away from Connor and towards the woman standing beside him. "Cordy, why don't you show Anne up to her room. She's had a long day. I'm sure she's very tired."

Cordelia started to say something to Angel in response, but thought better of it. This was something she knew he'd rather handle alone with his son. "Okay. Come on, Anne. It's upstairs."

Anne glanced over at Connor, only to find him turned away from her. She sighed and followed Cordelia out.

As soon as they were alone, Angel advanced on Connor until there was very little space between them. "What the _hell_ were you thinking?"

Connor knew there was no point in denying what had happened between him and Anne. Not with his father's senses… "It…it just happened."

"I wanted you to protect her, Connor. Not work out your pent-up sexual frustrations with her!"

"It wasn't like that! We were attacked. There was a fight with the demons and…things got hot."

"You shouldn't have let that happen! You should've had more control than that. She's a sixteen year old girl, she…"

"Whoa. Okay, stop right there before we get into some seriously hypocritical territory. I know what I did was wrong, Angel. I don't need anyone to tell me that. Especially you."

"Connor, I'm your father. I…"

"And I'm a grown man. This part of my life isn't any of your business."

"It is in this case!" Angel replied, his anger rising. "She's Buffy's…"

"Daughter, I know. And you feel responsible for her or something. I get that. But it's still none of your damn business."

"Connor…"

"Look, there's more important things going on here. Those demons attacked me today, too."

Angel frowned. "Anne said they'd only been attacking her. That they'd all but ignored anyone else who was around."

"Yeah, I know. She said that was the case until me." Connor took a deep breath. "And they called me something before they attacked. They called me her mate."

Angel stepped back. "Had you two…"

"Not yet. And when he said it…it was very deliberate."

Angel didn't quite know what to say. It seemed almost impossible that his son would be connected to this. And with Buffy's daughter…like that. "You and Anne took care of the demons, right?"

"Yeah. Although there's one hell of a mess in the kitchen. Laura's going to kill me."

"I think the mess in the kitchen is the least of your problems with your wife right now, Connor."

"I'm not going to do it again. I just lost control. I hadn't had a fight like that in so long, and she's so damn gorgeous."

Angel wasn't sure he believed Connor's vow that that would be the only time. He knew the desire for Anne was still there. "Did she put that bite mark on your neck?"

Connor blushed. "Um, yeah."

"Look, I know desire like this is hard to fight. But you're going to have to. This is just asking for trouble, Connor. I know you think I'm being hypocritical, but I'm telling you this because I do know. And I know the sort of bad that can come from it. Take my advice for once."

"I already told you it isn't happening again. I can control myself. I'm not an animal."

"Just keep that in mind then."

"I will." Connor stepped away. "I'm going upstairs. And I'm staying away from her, so don't think otherwise."

Angel held up his hands. "Wasn't even on my mind, I swear."

Connor gave his father a look and headed towards the stairs. He stopped when Angel called to him. "Did they call her anything?"

Connor stopped, turning back around. "Who?"

"Anne. They called you her mate. What did they call her?"

"The vessel."

If it was possible, Angel grew a little paler. "The _vessel_? Please tell me you used some kind of birth control with her."

"It…it didn't exactly cross my mind. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Dammit! Could you possibly be anymore of an idiot?"

"It was a mistake, Angel. On lots of levels. I get that. And if there are consequences, I'll deal with them."

"No, you don't get it. Buffy said these demons had been talking about a prophecy. Something connected to Anne. And 'vessel' in prophecy talk can refer to several things—one of which is a woman who carries some sort of special child."

Connor's eyes widened. "And you pair that with 'mate.' Oh god no…"

"There could be serious consequences to this Connor. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I don't know! I just snapped! The fighting, and the blood…" He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "You really think she might be pregnant?"

"It's a possibility. Not like we can know right away or anything, but… Did you even talk to her about it afterwards? See if she uses any kind of birth control?"

"No."

"Connor…"

"I know. Believe me. The last time I had any part in creation…" Connor trailed off. "I need to stay away from her. I need to get out of here…"

"No. You're not going out there alone."

"Angel."

"No, Connor. Those demons are apparently after you, too. Until we find out exactly why, I don't want you where I can't help you fight if it comes to it. This is a big hotel. Just stay in a room far, far away from hers."

"Yeah, okay. I'm gonna go…find one of those now."

"Keep yourself in check, Connor."

"I will."

* * *

Cordelia watched Anne as the girl walked into the room, sitting down on the bed, her bag still in her hands. "Do you have everything you need? Can I get you anything?"

"I'm fine, Cordelia. Thank you." Anne looked away, hoping Cordelia would get the hint and leave her alone.

Cordelia got the hint. But she had plans that didn't involve taking it. "He's just as confused as you are, you know. Just as scared."

Anne looked up sharply. "I'm not scared."

"Can I sit down and talk to you for a moment?"

Anne sighed, scooting over to give Cordelia room. "If you must."

"I don't know all the details. The Powers tell me what they tell me on a need to know basis, and they apparently don't think I should know everything here. But I can tell you it's going to be okay."

"It doesn't feel okay," Anne mumbled.

"I know, sweetie." Cordelia tucked a streak of bleached hair behind Anne's ear, making the girl flinch. "Things are going to be difficult for a while. But it's all happening for a reason. Not sure of the exact reason, but I do know that much."

"So it could be a bad reason?" Anne asked.

"I don't know…but I don't think so."

"You know, too, don't you," Anne said. "I know Angel does. Could probably smell it."

"Yeah, I do. I knew it would happen the second Angel told me he'd sent you two off together."

Anne narrowed her eyes at Cordelia. "And you didn't say anything?"

"Not my place. It would've happened no matter what I did. Some things aren't able to be stopped. They're just forces of nature."

"And that's what it is with Connor and me?" Anne's eyes and tone softened as she asked that, and Cordelia could see the scared little girl peeking through. She wished she could do more, could say more, but she knew she'd already said too much.

"Yes."

"Forces of nature tend to be destructive."

"I know." Cordelia smiled softly at Anne. "Do you want to talk about it? I promise anything you say to me will stay with me. I won't tell Angel, Connor, your parents—anybody."

Anne didn't know what she thought of Cordelia. She didn't know the woman too well, other than that she'd had been with Angel for several years and that she'd gone to high school with her mother. And that she was some sort of Higher Being with psychic powers. But she did want someone to talk to. Back home, she had her best friend Rebecca to confide in, but here, she felt so alone. Cut off. "I can't help wanting him," Anne admitted. "Even when I try not to, I do. From the moment he walked into the lobby and I saw him, it hit me. There was something between us, and when we fought those demons that attacked earlier, it just exploded. It was violent, and passionate, and…and wonderful. But Connor just walked away from it. Tried to act like it meant nothing." Anne felt tears stinging her eyes at that admission and she hated it. She hated to feel vulnerable, especially in front of someone she barely knew.

"I don't think it meant nothing to him, Anne. I think he's just scared—like you. It has to be powerful for him, too, and he doesn't know how to handle it. Connor's afraid of that part of himself. It's caused him a lot of trouble in the past. It's why he married Laura in the first place. He wanted to bury it, to just live a normal, calm life."

"But he can't do that. It isn't who he is."

"I know. And he'll figure that out. It's just going to be a hard road for a while. But things will smooth out. Can you trust me on that much?"

Anne nodded. "I think so."

Cordelia patted Anne's leg. "Why don't you get some rest? It'll help, make you feel better."

"Okay."

Cordelia stood up. "Good. Let me know if you need anything, all right?"

"I will. And Cordelia?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

* * *

Connor had gotten as far away from Anne as he could and still be in the same building, yet he could still feel her. It was like she was calling to him, beckoning him to her side. He wanted to feel her again, to run his hands along her smooth skin. His body ached and throbbed, craving her in a way he'd never known possible.

He forced himself to fight it, to remain in control. He'd already gone too far, possibly made a mistake that could never be corrected. What his father had brought to his attention regarding a prophecy chilled him to the core as he thought about what a possible child between the two of them could bring.

The image of Jasmine's true face was forever burned into his mind…

The man he was now was far removed from the boy who had blindly accepted his sick mockery of a "daughter." Yet he still remembered the pain from it all, still remembered what it felt like when her head collapsed against is hand like a rotted melon.

He'd sworn years ago that he would never again take that chance, never again create life with a woman. The risk was too great. He was something inhuman, something tainted. He couldn't unleash the evil inside of him on the world again.

And he'd forgotten all of that with Anne. He'd always been so careful in the past, taking strong precautions to ensure that he didn't become a father. He'd never even begun to have sex without a least one form of contraceptive in place. He'd never let himself lose control to the point where that wouldn't be at the front of his mind.

But Anne had made him forget he should care. He'd looked at her after that battle, and one word had coursed through his mind.

_Mate_…

If what he'd done today had left Anne pregnant with his child, Connor would never forgive himself. It went beyond the knowledge that such a thing would destroy both their lives. It could destroy the world.

He needed to know. There was a chance that she had taken care of things, that she was on a form of birth control he wasn't aware of. If she could just tell him that yes, she was covered, he could sleep easily. He could know that he hadn't put the world in danger with a moment of uncontrolled lust.

He'd go to her and ask her. Put his mind at ease. Then he'd leave. Go back to his own room and sleep the night alone. Simple as that. He wasn't succumbing to the need to be with her. He was simply checking up to make sure too much damage hadn't been done.

Connor got out of the bed, sneaking through the halls towards Anne.

* * *

If you're wondering what Cordelia's doing all not dead, go to my profile and read the fic I've just started entitled "After Death." It's still a WIP, too, but it will explain that soon.

And please, if you're reading and enjoying this story, do leave a review. Only a handful of people are saying anything, and I'm not sure if this one actually has any readership.


	5. Chapter Five

Connor smelled her tears as soon as he walked into the room, and they tore at him. The lust he'd been feeling for her took a back seat to something else, a need to hold and comfort her.

Somehow, that scared him even more.

Though the room was dark, he could still make out her form on the bed. She was turned away from him, but he could tell by how tense she was that she was well aware of his presence.

"What do you want?" she asked after he'd stood in the doorway silently for several minutes.

Connor reminded himself why he'd come here. He had to stick with the plan, or he'd end up with her in his arms again. "I feel like a jerk for just now asking this, but, um…are you on birth control?"

Anne sat up, pushing the sheet down and raising up the edge of her t-shirt from the back. "It's a birth control patch," she said, her fingers grazing something that looked like a square band-aid. "Specially formulated to interact with my…_unique_ physiology." She turned and looked at him then, staring at him defiantly, though the red rims around her eyes told another story. "Is that all?"

"Yeah. I was just…worried about that. I'll…go back to my room now."

"Okay."

Connor turned around, but didn't step out of the room. He heard her rustling as Anne got back under the sheet. She grew silent again, but he could smell a fresh wave of tears, and his control began to slip. He didn't want her hurting. With a silent curse, he faced her again. "I'm sorry."

"For what? It's not like you did anything I didn't want."

"But I hurt you. I didn't mean to do that."

"I'm fine, Connor. Really."

"No, you're not. You're crying."

"So? Doesn't have to be about you, you know. Demons are trying to kill me. I could be crying about that."

Connor regarded her for a moment, his heart pulled in two different directions. He remembered his wedding vows, his promise to forsake all others. But something inside him was telling him that his need to be with Anne went beyond any vow he'd ever made. That she was _his_ and nothing could change that.

The need to be with her too compelling to ignore, Connor sat beside her on the bed, holding his arms out to her. Anne hesitated for only a moment before moving into them, clutching him tightly. She needed this, needed to feel him against her.

"I'm sorry," Connor said, stroking her hair. "I didn't want to hurt you, Anne. But I shouldn't be doing this. I'm married to another woman. This is wrong."

Anne looked up at him, a fierceness in her blue eyes. "But you're not hers. You're mine. You've always been mine. Don't you know that, Connor?"

"Yeah, I do." He brought his lips to hers, kissing her as he lowered her back down on the bed.

Connor pulled away from her mouth to kiss the last of her tears away, making Anne shiver. "I need you," she whispered. "Once wasn't enough."

Connor didn't think it would ever be enough. He knew in that moment that he'd reached the point of no return, and he was prepared to pass it. He could deal with the repercussions later. Now was about enjoying the feel of the woman in his arms.

After he made love to her, he used what energy he had left to roll them over, letting Anne rest on his chest as he pulled the sheet over them. "Stay here?" Anne asked softly, her eyes drifting shut.

"Yeah," Connor replied, pressing a shaky kiss against her forehead. He wasn't sure he could've left even if he wanted to. Holding Anne like this made him feel too good to give it up.

Anne drifted off to sleep in Connor's arms, a small smile on her lips.

* * *

Despite the fact that he'd been awake for a while, Connor didn't want to move. Anne felt so good in his arms, so right. He was simply holding her as she slept, and he felt more at peace than he had in his entire life. 

The effect she had on him scared him. When he wasn't with her. When he _was_ with her he didn't care that she had the power to turn his whole world upside down. All that mattered was that then, in that moment, everything felt right.

But he had to leave. It was getting late in the morning, and even though he knew there was a good chance his father would stay asleep for a while, Cordelia wouldn't. She'd be up, ready to start the business day. It would be better if he wasn't caught in bed with Anne.

She whimpered as he slid out of her arms, and Connor's heart clenched at the sound. It amazed him how much he wished the circumstances were different. He'd known this woman only a few days, and already she was making him wish he'd never met his wife.

If he'd never been taken to Quartoth, they'd only be a little less than four years apart in age. It still would've been enough of a difference to matter at this age, but not really in the long run. They'd raise some eyebrows, but nothing to the point that they would now. He could be with her without having to sneak around, without having to try to bury his feelings.

And something told him he'd still want to be, no matter what different turns his life could've taken.

He kissed her forehead, resisting the urge to do anymore. They didn't need to be caught in the same room like this…

Connor tried to sneak out of the room only to find himself almost immediately face to face with his father.

"Sleep well last night?" Angel asked.

Connor groaned inwardly. Wasn't this just his luck… "Yes, as a matter of fact I did," he replied, looking back at Angel defiantly.

"You said you weren't going to do that again."

"This isn't any of your business, Angel."

"It damn well is my business! You're under my roof right now, Connor. It's bad enough to think about you doing this anywhere, but you will not do it here."

"What I do in private is never your business. I'm an adult."

"Well she's not! Her parents put her under my protection when they sent her here, and I'm not going to allow you to continue to take advantage of her." Angel's tone was dark, his voice almost a growl.

"Take advantage? That isn't what I'm doing. And you have really got to cut the hypocritical crap. It's getting old real fast."

"What I've done in the past isn't the issue here. You're making a mistake, and I can't just sit by and watch you do that. I'm your father."

"Yeah, and you've done such a great job with that."

Angel's entire body was tense as he fought to keep himself in check. "Connor, try to put aside whatever resentment you have for me, and look at this rationally. What about what we discussed last night—the prophecy? This isn't exactly the way to keep her from getting pregnant."

"We talked about that. She's on birth control."

"Yeah, well, your mother was a vampire. No better birth control than that, and look what happened." Angel jerked his hand towards Connor.

"If it's a prophecy, Angel, there's not much I can do about it anyway. What am I supposed to do…sign it away?"

Angel's eyes narrowed. "Connor…"

"I'm going back to bed," Connor said, turning towards Anne's door.

"In there?"

"Yeah. No point in sneaking out if you already know."

"No. I'm not letting you stay here if you're doing that."

Connor turned back around, meeting his father's eyes. "Then I'll wake Anne up and we'll leave."

"This is insane! You barely know her. Not to mention the fact that you have a _wife_. Why are you acting this way about that girl?" Angel sneered. "Is the sex that good?"

"It's not about that. Not completely anyway… I feel something with her, Angel. Something that I don't think I can fight. And if we're linked together through a prophecy…"

"We don't know that for sure, Connor. It's just a theory. I need to call Buffy, find out what else she knows about that. She has the Council researching the things the demons have said when they've attacked Anne."

"Are you going to tell her about the latest addition to that?"

"That they called you her mate? Do you want me to?"

Connor sighed. "I don't know. It could help figure out what all of this means and get these demons off Anne's back, but…"

"Her parents would kill you?"

"I'm thinking more along the lines of tag-team torture followed by slow, painful death."

"Yeah, there's always that. And you're still going back in that room, aren't you?"

"I shouldn't have left in the first place. I shouldn't make her wake up alone."

Angel knew the only way to keep his son from going back to Anne was to physically restrain him, and he wasn't sure he was quite up to that at the moment. "Could you at least knock it off with the sex? She's underage, and her parents have access to an army. Really some things you might want to consider."

"I'll keep that in mind." Connor went back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Anne was sitting up in the bed, the sheet wrapped tightly around her. "I didn't think you were coming back."

"I wasn't going to."

Anne turned her gaze down, staring at the bed. "Oh."

"But I did." He sat beside her on the bed. "I just didn't want Angel going off. I didn't want to leave you, Anne."

"I heard you talking to Angel out there, so I guess that isn't really an issue now…"

"He isn't happy."

Anne looked up slightly, giving him a small smile. "Is he ever?"

"Not with anything I do, I think." He took her hand. "Last night really meant something to me, Anne. I want you to know that."

"It meant something to me, too, Connor. It meant a lot to me."

"I just wish…god, I wish you were older."

Anne snatched her hand away, letting his fall to the mattress. "That really matters to you?"

"How can it not? You're sixteen. I'm technically old enough to be your father."

"Do you feel fatherly type feelings towards me?"

"No, of course not."

"So that's not really a problem."

Connor ran his hand through his hair. "It is a problem. What we've been doing—it's illegal. The age of consent here is eighteen, and you're a couple years shy of that. And I'm married."

"Leave her! We can go to England. I'm legal there."

"I can't do that, Annie. I have a wife. We've been married for ten years. I've known you two days."

"So, what? I'm just a bloody fling to you? Is that all this is?"

"No! I told you this meant something to me."

"You said last night meant something to you. _Last night_. Does that mean that's it? It was fun, but it's over now?"

"No, I just…" Connor stood up again. "I don't know how to handle this. I can't just walk away from my marriage."

"Yes you can! There's something powerful between us. I know you feel it."

"I do, but Anne, I have to be realistic. I've built a whole life for myself. I can't just throw it all away because I'm attracted to you."

"Tell me honestly, Connor, do you have any intentions of stopping the affair as long as I'm in the Los Angeles?"

Connor let out a deep breath. "No."

"So you were what, planning to fuck me for a little while, sow your wild oats, and then go back to your calm, suburban existence with your frigid wife?"

"No! I just…I can't stop when you're near. I know I should, but I can't fight it."

"And doesn't that tell you anything?"

"It tells me I'm a dirty old man with no self control."

"Would you stop that? I'm old enough to make my own decisions!" Anne met his eyes, desperation clearly written on her face. "We're so good together, Connor. I know you feel it."

"I do. And god, _Anne_, I want you. But Laura… I can't just abandon her."

"Get out."

"Anne…"

"Get out!" Anne was screaming now, her body shaking with anger. "Get away from me!"

"Anne, please…"

Anne grabbed the lamp from the bedside table, throwing it just past Connor's head so it smashed against the wall. "Out!"

Connor didn't say anything else, just backed out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Anne pulled her knees to her chin, unable to stop the tears that fell from her eyes.

* * *

This chapter has been edited for content, in keeping with this site's guidelines. 

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	6. Chapter Six

Anne had gotten dressed, but she hadn't left the room. She couldn't face Connor and be subjected to more of his back and forth behavior. Either he wanted to be with her, or he didn't. He couldn't have it both ways.

Sure, Anne had never looked for any sort of commitment in the past. If any other man she'd been with had told her all they wanted was a temporary fling, she'd been thrilled. It beat trying to pry off the clingy ones. But Connor was different. The demon was right. He was her mate. She knew it as much as she'd ever known anything. She could feel it in her blood. Connor was meant to be hers, and his rejection was tearing her apart.

She understood that he had a wife. In any other situation, that would've been something she'd stay far away from. She'd never fancied herself a home-wrecker. But this home was wrecked before she'd stepped into the picture. That much was obvious.

Anne knew she belonged with Connor. The fact that he was legally connected to another woman was inconsequential. It was a human tie, created by a human court, and those were easy to break. Not like a bond between mates. She knew there was a prophecy involved in all of this, and she and Connor were both a part of it. That meant that their union was destined. Simple as that. Why couldn't he understand it?

There was a knock at the door, and Anne took a moment to discern by scent who stood on the other side before she told them to come in. She wasn't in the mood to deal with anymore of Connor's denials of what should've been blindingly obvious.

Cordelia stepped into the room slowly, frowning at the sight of Anne sitting on the floor, her back resting against the side of the bed. "Are you okay?"

"Just peachy. You?"

"I was actually heading out for lunch and thought you might like to come to."

"I'm hiding from homicidal demons, Cordelia."

"I know, but they won't attack now. It's not time."

Anne quirked an eyebrow. "And when will it be time?"

"I don't know. I just know it's not now."

"Aren't you the all-knowing Seer…"

"No one can know everything, Anne. It would take all the fun out of the future."

"The last time I checked, being pursued by demons who want you dead wasn't exactly on the 'fun' list."

"Hungry or not?"

Anne was hungry. And she wanted out of this hotel. Connor was too close, and it was driving her crazy. She stood. "Just let me put my shoes on, and I'll be ready to go."

* * *

"So other than the fact that you're on the run from horrible monsters trying to kill you, how are you liking L.A.?"

Anne looked at Cordelia from over the top of her drink. "Hate it. It's too bloody sunny. And I don't like palm trees. They look…deformed."

"You haven't been seduced by the city and feel the need to stay here forever?" Cordelia asked, a teasing smile on her lips.

"Um, no. I will be quite happy when I can get back to London."

Cordelia's smile faded, her tone suddenly serious. "And what about Connor?"

Anne blushed, looking down to avoid Cordy's eyes. "I don't know. I asked him to come back with me, but he said he couldn't."

"You really want to be with him that much? After only a couple of days?"

"Yes, I do. And I know it's crazy. This isn't some teenage desire for star-crossed love or whatever. I'm not even sure if I do love him. Haven't known him long enough. But I know when I'm with him, I feel something strong. It tells me this is _right_, that with him is where I need to be. And I know he feels it, too, even if he keeps trying to pretend it doesn't matter."

Cordelia was quiet for a moment before she asked, "Anne, how much do you know about Connor's past?"

"A little. Not much. I know an old rival of Angel's raised him in Quartoth, and he came out all twitchy and vengeful. And I know Angel gave him to Wolfram and Hart and let them give him new memories, but that ended badly. He went to Ireland for a few years, and I assume it was after all of that."

"Yeah, it was. The family that Angel let Wolfram and Hart put him with wasn't a real family at all. They were employees of the firm. After Angel broke his contract with the Senior Partners by trying to stop the Circle of the Black Thorn, they turned on Connor, and the woman who had been posing as his mother tried to kill him. He left after that, did a little bit of soul searching, I suppose."

"And that led him to being a CPA in the suburbs?"

"Connor wants something normal," Cordelia replied. "He's always wanted family, but after what happened with Wolfram and Hart, he's really wanted to just forget everything about his life before then. For a while, he got to be normal, got to just have a life. He has two sets of memories, one happy and one full of pain and loss. And the ones he'd rather be real aren't. He chose to marry Laura and live the life he has now because he was trying to recapture what he had under the false memories. It was the only time in his life he was really, truly happy."

"He's not happy now."

"No, he isn't. But he's not bringing about the destruction of the world either."

"What do you mean by that?" Anne asked with a frown.

"I think that's something Connor should tell you about. When he's ready."

Anne pushed her food around on her plate with her fork. "So are you telling me to stay away from Connor?" she asked after a moment. "That I should just back off and let him be normal."

"No, I'm not." Cordelia gave Anne a small smile. "I probably should be, but I'm not. You're young, but I don't think you're naïve."

"I'm not. And really, I've never been one for actual relationships. I'm a bit thrown that I want to be in one."

Cordelia chuckled, then sobered again. "I'm going to tell you something, that I'm not sure I should, but I think you should know. You're going to need it for what's coming. I've been having visions. Well, flashes, really. Nothing solid enough that I can really tell you anything useful, but I've seen you, and Connor, and a baby. A little girl. I don't think it's soon, but someday. And when I see it, there's this overwhelming sense of love and happiness coming through. But I also know there's something between now and then. It's not going to be easy. To get there, you and Connor are both really going to struggle."

Anne swallowed. "And I suppose you don't know any of what this struggling contains?"

"No. Just that things are going to get worse before they get better."

"Great. Just what I bloody wanted to hear," Anne replied.

Cordelia reached across the table, placing her hand over Anne's. "But the important thing is that it _will_ get better. I know that much. I wouldn't be encouraging a sixteen year old girl to pursue a relationship with a thirty-seven year old married man otherwise…" She pulled her hand back.

"So you do think I should stay with him?" Anne asked softly.

"Nothing in heaven or hell could stop you, Anne. You and I both know that."

Anne just gave Cordelia a small nod. She did know that. Now if only she could convince Connor…

* * *

"You're going back to London."

Anne stopped short in the Hyperion's lobby, Angel's statement shocking her. "What? No I'm not!"

Angel came around from behind the front desk, approaching Anne. "Yes, you are. I just got off the phone with your parents a few minutes ago. They think that since the demons have followed you here, that there's no reason for you to stay. I think that's for the best as well."

"But I can't! The demons aren't just after me." Anne turned slightly, noticing that Connor was leaning against the desk. "Connor…"

"I agree with your parents and Angel. You'll be safer there. The Slayers can protect you."

"I don't need anyone to protect me! I can fight the bloody demons. And they're after Connor _and_ me."

"All the more reason to separate the two of you," Angel said. He added, almost under his breath, "As if there needed to be more reasons."

Anne felt herself panicking. Cordelia had told her that she and Connor had a future together. They couldn't make her leave him now, not when she wasn't sure she'd gotten into his heart. "I won't be any safer there," Anne tried to argue. "I've only been attacked by three demons since I got here. There were a lot more in England."

"And I'm sure there will be a lot more here, too," Angel said. "That was just the first attack. They know where you are now."

"And I can handle other attacks!" Anne looked back at Connor, desperation in her eyes. "Connor, please. Tell me you want me to stay with you."

Connor's heart and his head were telling him to give two different answers. But he knew which one was the safest. "You should go back home, Anne. It's where you belong."

Anne couldn't stand there and listen to Connor tell her he wanted her gone. She felt the pain from his words as strongly as if they'd been a physical blow, and she needed to get away before she started to cry. She'd been too weak these past few days. Too many people had seen her tears. She wouldn't add Angel to the list. She ran out the front door of the Hyperion.

"Well, you two can be quite insensitive," Cordelia said, her arms crossed in front of her as she regarded the father and son.

"Cordy, she needs to go back to London. She came here to try to hide from those demons, and it didn't work. She'd be safer there," Angel said with a sigh.

"I know that. And I think Anne probably knows that, too. But she's a sixteen year old girl who's falling in love. You both could've been a little more sensitive to that. Especially you, Connor. She crumbled when you told her to leave."

"I'm telling her to leave because I care, Cordelia! Look, I know she has feelings for me. I have…feelings for her, too. But I'm also married. And a lot older than her. Nothing can come of this. It's better for both of us if she goes home where she can be safe. From the demons and me," Connor said.

Cordelia knew it would take more than a continent and an ocean to keep Connor and Anne apart. But she also knew Connor wouldn't listen to that now, especially not from her. "I know, but have a little sympathy for Anne. You're breaking her heart. You slept with her, Connor, and now you're telling her to get out of your life. At the very least, you could let her down gently."

Connor frowned. Cordelia was right. It was just easier for him if he kept the most distance from Anne as possible, both physically and emotionally. The second he let himself soften at all with her, he was gone. She made him forget all that was wrong and just feel what was right. But that didn't mean he should hurt her the way he had. "I'll go talk to her," he said, heading towards the front door.

Once he was outside, Connor closed his eyes, searching for Anne's scent. He found it easily enough, her scent already one he knew he'd never forget. He walked in the direction it led him, hoping she hadn't gone far.

Suddenly, Connor heard a scream, the sound making his blood grow cold. He knew without a doubt that it was Anne, and his only thought now was to get to her, to stop whatever it was that had made her cry out in pain. He ran towards her as fast as he could, the scent of her blood now mingling with that of her body.

Connor found Anne on the ground in a parking lot, trying weakly to fight off a demon that had her pinned, its claws ready to strike. Connor lunged with a growl, tackling the demon down on the asphalt and away from Anne. He grabbed hold of its head, twisting hard and snapping its neck. Three more demons leapt at him then, but Connor moved with inhuman speed, quickly adding their bodies to that of the other.

As soon as the threat was gone, Connor ran to Anne, kneeling beside her. She looked up at him, her eyes clouded over with pain. "It hurts," she hissed, clutching her stomach.

Connor moved her arm, gasping when he saw her wound. The demon had torn her stomach with its claws, and blood was everywhere. He picked her up as gently as he could. "You're going to be okay," Connor said, as much for himself as for Anne.

"I feel cold," Anne said, her teeth chattering.

"Shh. Don't try to talk," Connor said, heading back towards the Hyperion as fast as he could without jostling Anne too much. "I'm going to get you patched right up. You're going to be okay."

Anne nodded, her eyes drifting shut. Connor shook her lightly. "No. Stay with me, Annie. I need you to stay with me. Can you do that?"

Anne's eyes opened again as she looked up at Connor. "Just keep those pretty blue eyes open for me, baby," Connor said as he walked up to the front of the Hyperion. "I'll have you fixed up as good as new before you know it."

Anne gave him a weak smile that quickly turned into a grimace of pain. Connor kicked open the front door, bursting into the lobby. "Angel! I need medical supplies _now_!"

Cordelia gasped at the sight of Connor carrying the blood-covered girl. "What happened?"

"The demons attacked her when she was on her own," Connor replied.

"Move her to a bed upstairs," Angel said. "I'll meet you up there with the supplies."

"Hurry," Connor said, already on his way up the stairs. "She's lost a lot of blood." He brought Anne into the room where they'd slept the night before, depositing her on the bed. He knelt beside her, holding her hand tightly as he waited for Angel. "You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay," he said with determination. She had to be.

He couldn't live with anything else.

* * *

Please leave a review. Let me know that writing this fic is worth my time. 


	7. Chapter Seven

Anne opened her eyes slowly, trying to sit up, only to feel a warm hand push her back down. "Don't get up. Your wound needs more time to heal."

Anne settled back down against the pillows, happy to stay where she was. It had hurt to move in the first place. She looked to the side, smiling weakly at Connor. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Connor said, smiling back. Just seeing her eyes open again made him happier than he remembered being in a long time. "You scared me there."

Anne grimaced, thinking about how her temper tantrum had almost gotten her killed. "I'm sorry."

Connor pushed her hair away from her forehead. "Not your fault. I was the one that made you run out like that. God, if anything had happened to you…"

Anne took his hand, giving it the strongest squeeze she could manage. "Wouldn't have been your fault. I was the one dumb enough to put myself in that sort of danger."

"I still almost lost you. You were bleeding so much, and…" Connor's voice trailed off as he brought her hand to her lips, kissing it softly.

"But you saved me," Anne said. "I saw you, the way you fought for me. You saved my life."

"I don't feel much like a hero."

"You're mine."

Connor leaned over, kissing her forehead. "You need to get more rest. Let that wound heal."

Anne didn't want to sleep anymore, but she was too tired to fight it. Her eyes drifted shut again.

Connor pressed one more kiss against her hand before letting it go. He got up from his chair beside her bed and went downstairs to look for his father, finding him in the office. "Anne woke up," he said as he walked in. "She's out again now, but she did come to for a few minutes."

"How did she seem?"

"Good. Well, good for someone with a serious injury. I think she's going to heal up just fine."

"She should. She heals like us."

"I'm worried about her, Angel," Connor said. "She's more vulnerable like this. And she can't go back to London now. We can't move her."

"I know," Angel replied. "I called her parents. Her father is coming here."

Connor's eyes widened. "What? When?"

"As soon as possible. Buffy wanted to come, too, but he convinced her to stay with the other two children. They're younger than Anne. The youngest is only six. But her father will help protect Anne."

"Yeah, right after he kills me," Connor muttered.

"Well, I guess you should've thought about that _before_ you slept with the man's daughter."

"You won't tell him, will you?" Connor asked.

"No. For one thing, he'd hold me responsible for it, too. I was the one that sent her off with you, after all."

"Good point. He'll kill both of us."

Angel snorted. "He can try."

"I for one would rather he didn't." Connor leaned against the wall. "She looks so weak, Angel. None of that fire I love so much about her."

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Love?"

Connor looked at his father with a start. "Don't analyze anything I say right now. I'm not thinking clearly."

"I've caught that, actually."

Connor gave Angel an annoyed look, but then he sighed, worry returning to his features. "I panicked when I saw that demon on her. Hell, I panicked before that. I heard her scream, and then her blood… And I fought like I haven't in years. I didn't even think. I just knew I had to kill them all before they got to her. I had to protect….I had to protect my…"

"Your mate," Angel said, filling in the word Connor didn't want to say.

"Yeah." Connor ran a hand through his hair. "This is insane. I have a life. A _good_ life that I've worked hard to build. And she's…she's a sixteen year old girl. Why can't I keep myself from feeling this way about her?"

"Maybe it's genetic."

"That's not funny."

"I wasn't kidding."

"I don't know what I'm going to do. Laura will be back soon. What do I say to her? 'Sorry honey, knew I said forever, but then I met this really hot sixteen year old girl?' And then what? I drop everything here, move to England, and ask Buffy Summers if she minds me shacking up with her teenaged daughter? Sure, that'll end up with me in one piece."

"Who knows. Buffy at sixteen…"

Connor cut him off. "Would you have ever wanted me doing any of the things _you _did at sixteen?"

"Hell no." Angel frowned. "I see your point."

"I'm in trouble either way. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I _can_ go back to Laura. After being with Anne, the thought of being with my wife again makes me feel cold."

"You know, I never thought Laura was right for you," Angel said. "Not that I'm saying Anne is, but at least I can see the connection there. Laura never seemed to appreciate you. She just wanted to turn you into something else."

"I know. I wanted to be something else. I scare myself, Dad."

Angel blinked. Connor calling him "dad" these days was…rare to say the least. "I know. And believe me, I can relate to that. But are Laura and the life she wants you to live really the answer?"

"You wanted me to be normal."

"I wanted you to be happy."

Connor let out a heavy sigh. "I can't let myself go. It's too dangerous. After what happened with Jasmine…"

"Connor, that wasn't your fault. You were manipulated by a very powerful evil force. We all were. You can't keep carrying the blame for that."

"I was easily manipulated, Angel. And with what I am, it made it all the worse. I'm the Destroyer. And I destroy everything I touch."

"Connor…"

"I need to go back upstairs and check on Anne. I want to be there for her when she wakes up."

"Yeah, okay. Call down here if you need anything."

"I will." Connor left his father alone and went back upstairs to Anne's bedside, holding her hand as she slept.

* * *

The pain was already less this time than when she'd woken up the last time. Anne looked to her side and saw Connor in a chair, his eyes closed. She smiled. He'd been watching over her. That had to mean something, didn't it?

Anne coughed, and Connor's eyes popped back open. He smiled when he saw her looking up at him. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better. And…" Anne frowned. "Hungry."

Connor chuckled lightly. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

"Please. Something light, though. Maybe some soup?"

"Anything you want. I'll be right back."

"Okay. And some water, too. I'm really thirsty."

Connor gave her a soft kiss. "Sure thing."

Anne stared up at the ceiling as she waited for Connor to come back. Despite the pain in her stomach, it warmed her to think of him taking care of her like this. He'd saved her life, and now he was watching over her. He wanted her with him, no matter what he'd said earlier.

Connor was back fairly quickly, carrying a tray into the room. "Is chicken with rice okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Anne said, grimacing as she tried to sit up. Connor set the tray down on the floor, propping the pillows up behind Anne's head to help her. "Thanks."

"Do you want me to help you eat?"

Anne hated to think of herself as having to be fed like a child. But she felt so weak, and her hands trembled every time she tried to lift them. "You don't mind?"

Connor brushed his hand softly against her cheek. "Of course not. I'm here for whatever you need."

"Thank you."

Connor sat on the edge of the bed with the bowl of soup, feeding Anne spoonfuls as well as helping her drink the water when she asked for it. It made his heart clench to see her this weak, and he had to keep reminding himself how strong she really was. She'd be back to her usual strength soon and then…

Connor stopped his thoughts there. And then what? He didn't know, and he didn't want to think about it. He'd just focus on the now, when he knew he could give her what she needed.

Anne looked tired again as she finished eating. "You need to lie down?" Connor asked, setting the empty soup bowl and water glass back on the tray.

Anne nodded. "Yeah. I'm not exactly feeling like my normal energetic self."

"You're using all your energy to heal. Which is good. Means you're getting better." Connor lowered her pillows again, helping Anne to lie back down.

"It doesn't hurt as much."

"Good."

"Connor? Can you…can you stay here in the bed with me instead of the chair? Please?"

He didn't even consider telling her no. She was hurt, and she needed him to take care of her. He took off his shoes before sliding in beside her, wrapping his arms around her. "Is this better?"

"Much," Anne replied, holding him close to her. They were silent for a while, and Anne's hand crept up to play with the small Celtic cross he had dangling from a chain around his neck. "I been noticing this," she said. "Do you always wear it?"

"Yeah. Reminds me of what I'm not."

He didn't have to say anything else for her to know what he meant by that. He wasn't a vampire. He wasn't his father… "Did you get it when you were in Ireland?"

"Yes. A woman I knew there gave it to me." At the sight of her raised eyebrow, he quickly added, "It wasn't like that. She was just a friend. She had grandchildren. But she helped me through a lot."

"Oh." There was a pause, and Anne spoke again. "Why did you leave Ireland? Didn't you like it there?"

"I did. I liked it a lot more than Los Angeles… But I still felt restless. I thought maybe if I came back here, worked through some issues with my father that I could move on."

"Did you do that?"

"No. Well, some, I guess. I don't want to kill him or anything. But there's still issues."

"So why did you stay? If L.A. wasn't giving you what you needed either…"

"I met Laura. I was a mess then. I was floating from job to job, relationship to relationship, no real stability in my life. I was working at this restaurant for a while, and Laura's sister was one of the waitresses. Laura would give her a ride home every night, and sometimes she'd come in and talk to me while we were closing. She seemed so…together. She'd just graduated from Stanford, and she had her whole life planned. I wanted that."

"But you didn't want her?"

Connor frowned. "I don't know. I guess I did then. She wasn't like the other women I'd been with. Gave her a sort of allure. She did help me clean myself up. Got me to finish school and helped me get a job through her father. And when I told her the truth about what I was and where I came from, she stayed with me. She didn't want me to have anything to do with fighting demons anymore, but she didn't reject me."

"Yes, she did. She rejected what you really are, made you be what she wanted you to be instead."

Connor wondered what Anne would say if he told her what she'd just said mirrored many a statement made by his father… "That's what I needed to be. My life was going nowhere, Anne. I needed to be someone else."

"No, you needed to find yourself. You were lost. She wasn't the light to help you find your way."

"And you are?"

"You already know the answer to that."

Connor closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath. He did know the answer. And it scared him. He opened his eyes again, looking down at Anne resting against his chest. "You need your rest. I'm sure those demons will attack again, and when they do, I don't want you to be defenseless."

"I won't be defenseless. I'll have you."

Connor pressed a kiss into her hair. "Yeah, you will."

* * *

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	8. Chapter Eight

"Where the bloody hell is my daughter?"

Angel winced as he heard the call from the lobby, debating for a moment if he should just stay here in the office. But that wouldn't do him a damn bit of good and he knew it. He walked out, standing in front of his newest visitor with his arms crossed. "Hello, Spike. So nice to see you again."

"Cut the sarcasm, Angel. Where's Anne?"

"She's upstairs resting."

"After you let her get mauled by some demon? Oh, very good job protecting her there. I knew I could trust you."

"I thought we were cutting the sarcasm," Angel snapped. "And it's not like I _let_ it happen, Spike. She'd only been gone for a few moments when the demons attacked."

"Probably been waiting for just such an opportunity, Peaches. It's one of those things you do when you're trying to kill someone. You should know."

"Do you want to see your daughter, or do you want to harass me?"

"Usually, I'd say both, but right now, Anne's taking precedence. I'll harass you later," Spike replied with a glare.

"She's in room…"

"I can find her," Spike snapped, going up the stairs.

Angel let Spike go, hoping his son was behaving well enough to keep himself in one piece…

* * *

Connor woke to the feel of Anne weakly pushing against his chest. "Annie?"

"Get up. _Now_."

"Is something wrong?"

"My father's here. I can smell him."

"Shit!" Connor wasted no time then, scrambling out of the bed and over to the chair. He hadn't had sex with Anne in a while, and Connor prayed to any god that would hear him that Spike wouldn't catch the scent of what had gone on in that room earlier. Anne's blood was the dominating scent for him, and he was banking on it being the same way for Spike.

The door opened, and Connor held his breath. Much to his relief, Spike went straight to the bed, hugging Anne as she pulled herself up to meet him. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hey, baby girl." Spike pulled away, resting his hand against her cheek. "I was so bloody worried when I heard what happened…"

"I know. I'm sorry I scared you. But I'm all right. Connor saved me."

Spike turned to Connor then. "You did? What happened?"

Connor tried to push down the uncomfortable twinge this was giving him, knowing Spike would be able to sense any fear on his part. "It wasn't a big deal. I just stopped the demons that were attacking her is all."

"It was a big deal," Anne said to Connor before addressing her father again. "There were five of them, and he took them out like they were nothing. Then he grabbed me and brought me back here so I could get fixed up. He…he was amazing."

Spike looked at Connor. "Thank you. For saving my little girl."

Connor knew he had saved her life, but with Spike look at him like that, _thanking_ him after the other things he'd done to Anne, Connor felt guilty. "It was nothing."

Spike shook his head. "It was everything."

Connor looked down. "I just did what needed to be done."

Anne put her hand over her father's. "I think you're embarrassing him, Dad." Connor glanced up at Anne, a bit of gratitude in his eyes.

"I just… When Angel called me and told me you were hurt, Anne… All I could think about was how I should've been here. To protect you. If something had happened because I hadn't been here…"

"I'm fine. I'm strong, just like you and Mom taught me to be."

Spike caressed her face, his hand trembling as he took in how pale and weak she looked. "I know. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't give my last breath if it meant protecting you."

"I know," Anne replied.

Spike pulled his hand away. "I need to call your mother. She made me promise I would as soon as I saw you. Needs me to tell her you're really all right. She wanted to be here, but…"

"She needs to stay with William and Joyce," Anne said. "And they certainly don't need to be here, not with those demons attacking. I worry enough about _you_ being here."

"Well, I'm not leaving until you do, princess. Shouldn't have sent you here on your own in the first place."

_"I'm glad you did,"_ Anne thought, though she kept it to herself. "You're here now. And I'll be fine. Takes more than hordes from hell to stop me."

Spike gave her a mock stern look. "Stop trying to be your mother."

"You're the only person who says I'm like her. Everyone else says I'm like you. I think it's the stubbornness."

"Nope. That's her brand of stubbornness you've got." Spike stood, kissing the top of Anne's head. "I'll be back soon. Buffy's just a nervous wreck. Gotta put her mind at ease a little."

"It's okay. Besides, I have Connor here to take care of me." Anne shot him a quick look, a mischievous grin quirking up at the corner of her mouth. Connor sunk a little in his seat. That was just evil…

"Right then. Back in a few."

Spike left the room, leaving Anne and Connor alone again. "Could you not talk about me 'taking care of you' in front of your father?" Connor hissed.

Anne rolled her eyes. "Relax. He doesn't even suspect. Besides, I don't think he'd mind so much. He likes you, doesn't he?"

"Anne, no father likes the man who's sleeping with his sixteen year old daughter. Sometimes they kill them."

"He's not going to kill you."

"How can you be so sure? I'd kill me…"

Anne reached over and took his hand. "Because that would hurt me, and he isn't going to do that."

"I'm not feeling a lot of confidence about that."

"Well, he's going to have to know eventually."

"Why?" Connor asked, his eyes widening at the prospect. "You're not crazy enough to tell him, are you?"

"No. But sooner or later, don't you think he'll notice?"

Connor pulled back, letting her hand slip from his. "Anne, nothing more is going to happen between us. I've already gone way too far with you, and I'm not going to keep making that mistake."

"This isn't a mistake," Anne snapped. "Stop trying to say it is."

"It is! Dammit, how many times do I have to remind you I'm married?"

"I wish you'd stop. Every time I think about some other woman thinking you're hers… Bloody hell, Connor, you and I both know your marriage is a lie. Why even bother keeping it up? Wouldn't you rather have something real?"

"Nothing's real. You just have to find the lie that's easiest to live with."

Anne stared at him. He couldn't honestly believe that? The best part of life was that it was real. Sometimes real was messy, but that was just part of the fun. "I'm real, Connor."

"I know." And he did. To the point that it scared him. He'd searched so long for someone who could make him feel, for someone who he could look at and see in vibrant color. For someone who let him know he was really alive. But to find that in a sixteen year old girl he could never really have… It was just the world playing another cruel joke on him. Dangling fulfillment in front of him only to make it something he could never grasp.

"Let me be yours, Connor," Anne pleaded. "Let me be the one to love you. I know I can."

"No, you can't!" Connor yelled, making Anne pull back. He saw the pain flash across her face at his harsh tone, but he didn't soften. She had to understand this. "I'm not someone you can love. I'm…damaged. I've seen terrible things. Done terrible things. I'm not cut out to be a teenager's boyfriend. I'm not someone who will walk through the mall holding your hand or who you can gossip about with your friends. There's darkness in me, Anne. Serious darkness. More than you could ever handle. If I let go with you, then it all comes back. I'm not going to let that happen."

"I don't want you to be a 'teenager's boyfriend.' Dammit, Connor, that isn't what I'm asking from you, and you bloody well know it. I'm asking you to acknowledge that I'm your _mate_. And I know there's darkness in you. I'm not daft. But it doesn't frighten me away. It makes me want you more."

"It shouldn't. It should make you want far away from me."

Anne rested her hand softly on his leg. "But it's part of what makes you who you are. It's part of what makes you _real_."

Connor blinked. "Anne…"

"No. You need to get this, Connor. You need to understand. You told me nothing's real. That everything's a lie. But look at yourself. Look how real you are. All those scars inside, they're what make you a person. It's flaws that make us human."

"My life has been one lie after another."

"Yes. It has been. But that's your life. It's not _you_."

"What am I if I'm not the life I've lived?"

Anne shrugged. "Why don't you look inside yourself and find out?" She yawned. "I'm feeling tired still. Must be all that blood loss. I'm going to sleep again, but you think about what I said, yeah?"

Connor nodded numbly as Anne settled back on to the pillows, her eyes sliding shut. She'd told him to think about what she'd said, and he knew he'd have no way not to. It had hit him hard. Anne was sixteen. She wasn't supposed to have insight. Not like that. He felt visibly shaken.

"You all right?"

Connor looked up sharply, realizing Spike was back in the room. He hadn't even heard him come in… "Yeah, I'm just…tired, I guess," Connor said. "I've been watching over her."

"Go get some rest. I can do that."

"Yeah, okay," Connor said as he stood. Part of him hated to leave Anne when she was like this, but another part of him needed to get away. He needed to think, and that was a lot easier when she wasn't around. Besides, her father probably had more of a right to sit at her beside when she was hurt than he did…

Spike clasped his hand on Connor's shoulder. "Thanks for looking out for her like you did. Can't tell you what that means to me."

Spike's words made Connor's insides twist. What would he think if he knew why he'd been so zealous in his protection of the other man's daughter? "I did what I had to do," Connor said.

"You didn't have to…"

"Yeah, I did. But she's in your hands now." Connor glanced at Anne quickly before walking out of the room.

* * *

Connor's mind was moving faster than he could keep up with. What Anne had told him had hit him hard. It seemed too simple. A solution to the problems he'd struggled with for his entire existence coming from the mouth of someone who was barely more than a child. Just accept himself. Find something to embrace, to see as truth.

It would be perfect if it was as easy as Anne seemed to think it was.

He did acknowledge that she knew parts of him that he normally kept hidden. She had a demon side the same as him. She knew the wildness that called to him because it called to her, too. Yeah, she understood the demon.

It was the man that he didn't think she could know. That was the part that was damaged. The man who had grown from the scared, lost boy who had known nothing but pain, loss, and betrayal. Anne had been too sheltered. She had no reason to distrust love. It had never turned its back on her.

Connor couldn't accept that he was being handed real love now. Anne couldn't be the missing piece in his life because the missing piece didn't exist. No matter what he felt for her now, it would just be another lie. Another empty promise that would shatter the moment he held it close.

What would happen if he took a chance again, let himself really fall for Anne? He'd have to give up everything, his wife, his job, his home. He knew he was living a lie. Anne didn't have to tell him that. He'd known it from the very beginning. But it was a very easy lie to live.

Connor turned his gaze towards the bedside table and to the phone. He hadn't spoken to Laura since the last time she'd called the house, and he knew he should. She'd be angry when he told her he'd gotten wrapped up in something concerning Angel, but he needed to tell her. She was his wife after all…

He picked up the phone and dialed the number from memory, gritting his teeth through each ring.

"Who is this?" a voice demanded on the other line when the ringing stopped. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Connor forced himself to sound polite. "I'm sorry, Mr. Cramer. It's Connor. I need to talk to Laura."

"Laura's asleep. It's one o'clock in the morning."

"I know. It's important."

Connor heard a rustling on the other end of the line and then a muffled voice, as if Laura's father had placed his hand over the receiver. "Becky. It's that no-account husband of Laura's. He says it's important."

Connor rolled his eyes. Couldn't that man at least have the decency to pretend he didn't hate him to his face?

"What does he want, Rick?" Laura's mother asked.

"I don't know. Boy hasn't been to work in days."

"Well, bring Laura the phone."

Connor listened as his father-in-law begrudgingly got out of bed, mumbling the whole way to Laura's room. He heard him wake up Laura, telling her who it was and handing her the phone.

"Connor? It's late…" Laura said as soon as she had the phone.

"I'm sorry. I know."

"Where have you been? Daddy says you haven't been at work, and you haven't answered any of the times I've called the house."

"I know. There's been a problem."

"What sort of problem? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm at my father's."

Laura was silent for a moment before she finally made a sound. Just a simple "oh."

"There was a problem. The daughter of some old friends of his needed help, and he wanted me to look after her, just until he could figure out what was going on."

"And why do I doubt it was as simple as that?"

"There were demons after her. They…they attacked the house. We had to run to Angel's."

"Dammit. Connor, I've told you and told you, I don't want that in my home! I've accepted the fact that that _thing_ is your father, but honestly… I told you not to help him anymore."

"A girl was in trouble, Laura. I couldn't just ignore that."

"No. You had to go play hero." Laura sighed heavily. "How bad are things at the house? Did the whatever they are attack there?"

"Yes. The kitchen's trashed."

"What! God, I am so sick of this. You told me when we got married that you wanted to give all of that up. That it would never touch our lives. Well, it has, Connor. Again and again."

"I know, Laura. And I'm sorry. I really didn't mean for it to happen. It just…"

"No. I'm so _sick_ of the excuses. Ten years of excuses, Connor. That's all I've gotten. I have begged and pleaded for you to give me what you promised me the day we got married and you never have. Where's our family, Connor? Where's our life?"

Connor winced. "I can't give you that, Laura. You know that."

"No, you don't _want_ to give that to me. I'm sick of this. Do you remember what I said when I left, the decision I told you I needed to make?"

Connor closed his eyes. "Yeah, I do."

"Well, consider it made."

The dial tone rang in his ear. Connor hung up the phone and lay down.

* * *

Okay, the last two chapters have had 2 reviews a piece, both from the same people. (Thank you Imzadi and mercurybard!)However, they have had many more than 2 hits. Would you please just review? Come on, people. I get nothing for writing this. I write fanfic strictly to entertain others. The least you can do is write a short review. Honestly, it's not asking that much. I put a lot into my stories, and a little feedback would be nice. Otherwise, why am I bothering to do this is no one's showing any real interest? You don't even have to log in. Just type something right there in that little box... 


	9. Chapter Nine

Angel muttered to himself as he walked into the Hyperion, shaking the demon goo off his arm. He hadn't found any sign of the demons that were after Anne and Connor, but he had managed to run into an eight foot tall Kulphor demon in a seriously bad mood.

He started towards the weapons cabinet to put away his sword when he noticed his office door ajar and the light on. He stopped, catching the scent of who was in there. Connor… He put away the sword then went to his office, frowning as he saw Connor behind the desk with a drink in his hand.

Connor looked up. "I hit your liquor supply. Don't really care if you mind."

"How much have you had to drink?"

"I don't know. But not enough."

Angel pulled a chair over in front of the desk. "Connor…"

"Please, no _fatherly_ advice right now. I'm really not in the mood."

"Wasn't going to. Just going to ask you to pour me one." Connor looked at Angel skeptically for a moment before doing what he'd asked, sliding the glass across the desk. Angel gave his son a nod. "Thanks."

Neither man said anything for a while, letting the silence hang heavy in the room. Connor knew why his father was there now, why he hadn't gone up to join Cordelia in his bed. He wanted Connor to talk, wanted him to say what had driven him down here to the liquor cabinet. Normally, Connor wouldn't have cared one way or another about that.

But tonight he felt like spilling. He could feel everything crashing down around him, and it was too much to carry on his own. That coupled with the fact that he'd had more than a couple of drinks before Angel had shown up made him want to talk.

"Laura's leaving me. At least she says she is. Though I think she really means it this time. She's been gone longer than any of the other times."

"Other times?"

"She leaves when things get bad. We fight a lot. About her wanting children. About me not being enough of a man. She tells me I act like an animal."

Angel's expression darkened. He couldn't stand to think of anyone telling his son that, especially not after all the boy had been through. "Did you talk to her tonight?"

"Yeah. I called her about an hour ago. Figured I should tell her…"

"About Anne?"

Connor frowned. "No. About the kitchen. Yeah, like I'm going to tell my wife I've been sleeping with a sixteen year old girl. I'm sure that would help all our marriage problems."

"How bad are the problems, Connor? Why did she leave?"

"I threw a plate."

"She left because you threw a plate? At her?"

"No. It didn't go anywhere near her. And it wasn't just that…that's just what made her actually walk out the door. This time."

"How often does she leave you?"

Connor shrugged. "Depends. More, recently. She goes to her mother's to 'think about things.' Waits for me to call and beg her to come back."

Angel had always thought Laura's extended trips to her mother's were strange. After all, the woman lived all of about twenty minutes away. There wasn't a lot of reason to stay with her. But Connor had brushed it off time and time again like it was nothing. Just a visit. Angel wondered what else Connor had kept to himself about his marriage. "How bad have things been with Laura?"

Connor looked down, though Angel had caught a glimpse of the shame in his eyes. "Bad. I've been really good for the past couple of years. I haven't gone out at all. Haven't fought anything, not even when you asked me for help. I've gone to work, and I've paid the bills. I did everything she asked me except _that_, and it wasn't enough."

"What's 'that?'"

"She wants a baby."

That much Angel knew. He just didn't know to what extent it caused problems in his son's marriage. "Is that what the fight was over? With the plate throwing?"

"Yeah. I've explained to her why I can't. But she puts that with the part of my life she doesn't want to exist. She tells me to just be normal. To quit letting there always be something wrong with me."

"Connor, there's nothing wrong with you."

Connor looked up sharply. "Yeah, Angel there is. I'm just a fuck up."

"No. _No_. Connor, don't say that. Don't think it. You've come through some much, more than most people could even begin to handle, and you're still here. Life hasn't been fair to you, but it isn't your fault. It's not because of anything wrong with you."

"There has to be something wrong with me, Dad. I can't fit in anywhere. I can't feel anything. I don't even think I love my own wife. How can something not be wrong with me?"

Angel winced. His son was still so emotionally shattered, and he knew a lot of that was his fault. "There's nothing _wrong_ with you. You're just not like other people. And if Laura's telling you otherwise, then she's the one that's fucked up, Connor. Not you."

"You're just saying that because you don't like her."

"I don't like her. I've never bothered to hide that. But that isn't really the issue here. She makes you miserable. Listen to what you're saying. You're with a woman that tells you there's something wrong with you? That you're an animal, not a man? Plays with your emotions by leaving you and waiting for you to beg her to take her back? It's no wonder you're not in love with her. She doesn't give you any reason to be."

"She's put up with so much from me, and all I've ever done is fail her."

Angel had disliked Laura from the moment he met her. But he'd never wanted to physically hurt her. Not until now. When he looked at Connor now he could still see the same boy who had turned to him with a bomb strapped to his chest and told him that he was dead inside. He didn't believe in his capacity to love and all Laura had done was reinforce that. Angel wanted to rip her throat out. "You didn't fail her. She failed you. She couldn't accept who you are, and she tried to change you into what she wanted. She never bended for you. All the problems in a relationship can't be one person's fault alone, and she certainly can't expect you to change everything about yourself just to please her. Especially if she won't compromise at all for you."

"What's there to compromise, Angel? It's not asking too much of your husband to tell him to stop fighting demons…"

"It is if it's you, Connor. You're a fighter. It's in your blood."

"No! I don't want this. No one can ever accept me this way, Angel."

"There's a woman upstairs who does."

Connor blinked. "Okay, now I know I've had too much to drink because it sounded like you just said…"

"That's because I said it. Although this doesn't mean I'm not really disturbed by the idea of you with Buffy's daughter, because I am. And I think you should…wait a while. But if anyone in this world is your match, it's her. Whatever you are, she is, too."

"That's what she keeps saying."

"It's true. Her father isn't quite as much of a vampire as I am these days, but…" Angel looked his son in the eyes. "Connor, I saw how you reacted when she was hurt. The fear and the determination in your eyes. You feel something for her."

"I…I do. It's really strong, Angel. It can't explain it. But just one look at her, and my whole world turns upside down."

"It scares you, doesn't it?"

"Terrifies me. It's too intense to be anything but dangerous."

Angel knew Connor was right there. But he also saw more emotion come from his son where Anne was concerned than he had in a long time—if ever. He wasn't sure what would be better for him, giving in or trying to play it safe, and he doubted Connor had any idea either. "Why don't you get some sleep? It's late—or early."

Connor downed the last of what was in his glass. "Yeah, I probably should. I don't think there's quite enough of this here to actually make me feel any better."

Angel sighed as Connor stood up. "Look, you probably don't want to hear this right now, but this thing with Laura leaving…it could be good for you. Even if you steer clear of a relationship with Anne, this could give you an opportunity to find something better in your life than the way you've been living."

"I don't know. I mean, I wasn't happy in my marriage, but I was settled. I could go through my routine, and I could make it from day to day. I wasn't falling apart."

"You weren't? Looks a little different from the outside, Connor."

"I'm going to bed. You were right about the me needing sleep thing."

"Yeah, okay. Good night."

"Good night, Angel."

* * *

Connor stood in the hallway outside of Anne's room. He knew he shouldn't go in. Spike was still in there, and the last thing he wanted to do was give Spike any reason to suspect that something was going on with him and Anne.

But he needed to see her, even for a moment. He really wanted to hold her, knowing that feeling her in his arms would make this all hurt a little less, but he was smart enough to know that wasn't going to happen. Not with her father keeping a bedside vigil.

Spike's eyes opened as soon as Connor walked into the room, and he set up straighter in the chair beside Anne's bed. "Is there trouble?"

"No. I was just on my way to bed and I…wanted to see how she was doing."

"She's fine," Spike replied. "She's stayed asleep. Breathing's normal and everything."

"Good. I was worried. That demon really did some damage."

"Anne's tough. She's a survivor. Girl's been through a lot, and she hasn't stopped yet."

Connor stepped closer to the bed, unable to keep himself back from her. He pushed back a bleached strand of her hair, letting it fall into the darker tresses fanned out over the pillow. "She is tough. She's like…a force of nature."

Spike glanced between Anne and Connor, a frown on his lips. "Yeah, she is. So I haven't heard much from you since you came back here. Angel says you're married now?"

"Uh, yeah," Connor said, pulling his hand away from Anne quickly. "Going on ten years now."

"That right? What's her name?"

"Laura." Connor looked over at Spike, noticing the strange way he was looking at him. He moved away from Anne, backing towards the door. "I should go to bed. It's really late."

"You do look like you need sleep."

Spike's expression had gone back to normal, and Connor resisted breathing a sigh of relief. He'd almost messed up there, making his feelings for Anne too evident in front of her father. "I'll see you tomorrow. Or later today…"

"Yeah. Good night."

"Night." Connor hurried out of the room and back to his own. He needed to find a way to stop this…

* * *

Anne's eyes fluttered open, looking over at her father. "Was Connor just in here?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah. He came to check on you," Spike replied.

Anne smiled, even as her eyes drifted shut again. "I thought I felt him."

Spike's eyes widened at his daughter's half-asleep declaration. Connor's behavior a moment ago had seemed strange to him, too tender towards a girl he barely knew. And now what Anne had just said… Maybe if she said she'd _heard_ him. They had been talking. Would stand to reason that hearing their voices would've pulled her momentarily out of sleep. But felt… That was something else entirely.

Spike shook his head. It couldn't be what he was thinking. That was insane. Anne was only sixteen, and Connor would know better. It was just his mind jumping to foolish conclusions.

He settled back into the chair. Yeah, that was all it was. Nothing to worry about at all…

* * *

Please, please, please review. This is me begging and pleading, etc… I'd really, really like to see some feedback for this fic. 


	10. Chapter Ten

Anne was very thankful for fast healing. She still wasn't in top form and needed her rest, but at least she could go to the bathroom without Cordelia's help. That was a definite improvement….

Spike hadn't left her side, and while she was grateful that her father cared that much, she wanted to talk to Connor. He'd stayed away from her room all day, though she could sense him in the hotel. Having him that close and not with her was making her antsy.

The only warning before Angel barged into the room was a brief knock on the door with no time given for a response. Spike shot an annoyed look at the vampire who had been his grandsire. "You know, Anne's still not feeling her best. You could come in a little quieter."

"Yeah, sorry. I'm heading out for a look around to see if I can find those demons. You want to come?"

Spike glanced between Anne and Angel. He wanted to be proactive where the threats on his daughter's life were concerned, but at the same time, she was vulnerable. "Don't know if I should leave the hotel. Not with Anne like this…"

"Cordelia and Connor will both be here," Angel said. "They can protect her."

"And I'm not completely helpless, you know," Anne insisted. "I'm healing up really well."

"I know you are, princess, but you're still not at top form," Spike said. "You really can't afford anymore damage."

"But I'll be fine if you go out," Anne replied. "Connor and Cordy will be here. Angel will have an easier time hunting them down if he has you to help."

Spike's brow wrinkled as he thought about what to do. Anne was doing better. And it wasn't like he'd be leaving her to fend for herself. Connor and Cordelia were both more than capable of protecting her. "I won't be gone too long," he said, standing.

"Take as long as you need," Anne replied. "I want those things gone."

"Me, too." Spike turned to Angel. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yeah. Just need to grab some weapons from downstairs and head out. It's not quite sunset yet, so…" Angel trailed off, Spike's heartbeat suddenly seeming louder to his ears. "I was going to start in the sewers."

"That's fine. I've got no problem with the sewers."

Angel nodded, feeling a small amount of gratitude towards Spike for not making a big deal out of that. "So…weapons?"

"Yeah." Spike leaned down and kissed Anne's forehead. "I'll be back soon."

"I know. Be careful, Daddy."

"I will."

Anne flopped back against the pillows as the door shut behind her father and Angel. She wondered how long it would be until they were gone from the hotel and she could go find Connor…

* * *

Connor leaned against the front desk, his eyebrow arched as he watched Anne come down the stairs. "You really shouldn't be out of bed."

Anne gave him a pout. "I missed you."

Connor shivered. Just a look and she had him desperate. "Our fathers won't be gone all night…"

Anne approached him, running her hands down his chest. "Then we better not waste any time."

"Cordelia is…"

"In her room. I passed her on the way down."

Connor looked into her eyes, his breathing heavy. "We shouldn't do this."

"Say that like you mean it."

Connor's response was to kiss her, his mouth hard on hers as he pulled her up and carried her behind the counter. Something in the back of his mind was telling him this wasn't the place for this, but he couldn't seem to find the ability to care. Anne was in his arms, kissing him, and she tasted so damn good…

He lowered her down to the floor, bracing her head with his hand as he rested his body on top of hers. Anne wrapped her legs around his waist, only to let them drop to the floor again with a cry of pain. Connor pulled up immediately, looking down at her with a worried expression. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," Anne replied, blushing. "I thought I could do this, but it hurts…"

Connor sat up, pulling her with him. "Shh…don't be sorry. I shouldn't have been trying to anyway, knowing you were hurt. I just lose my head around you."

"I've noticed," Anne said with a wry smile. She kissed his cheek. "Just because I'm not in top form doesn't mean we can't do anything, you know." She opened up the front of his jeans, slipping her hand inside.

"We shouldn't," Connor said, though his voice was shaky. "It wasn't a good idea to start anything right here in the lobby anyway, and…"

Anne lowered her head, and soon all Connor's attempts at rational thought were long gone.

* * *

When she was finished, Anne moved beside Connor, her head resting on his shoulder. "I would ask if you liked that, but it would be a little pointless," she said with a grin.

"Yeah, I guess I made that pretty obvious," he said, kissing the top of her head. "It's been a long time since anyone's done that for me."

"Why am I not surprised?" Anne muttered. "Laura doesn't seem like the type to…"

"She left me," Connor said, cutting her off.

Anne sat up. "What?"

Connor shifted. "This trip to her mother's, it was more than that. We had a fight, and she took off to think about some things. And she told me last night that she made up her mind. She's leaving me."

"So all this time you've been all 'oh, we can do this—I'm married' and your wife had taken off?"

"It wasn't official," Connor said. "She's left before, but she always comes back. I just assumed she would this time, too. To be honest, she still might."

"And then you'll what? Take her back?"

Connor looked at the woman beside him. She was flushed with anger, and if it were possible, he thought that made her even more beautiful. Her fire, her passion, were something he'd never felt before. She made him feel alive. With her touch, she could let him know he was real. He knew that even if Laura did come back this time, he couldn't return to that life. The lie would feel too empty now. "No."

"So…so we can be together now? Your wife is gone, and I know you want me, and…"

"Anne, Laura wasn't the only obstacle for us. You're still sixteen."

"But that doesn't matter! You can come with me to London. We can be together there."

"It's not that simple. I can't just up and leave Los Angeles."

"Why not!" Anne demanded, pulling away from him. "You did it before. And it's not like you couldn't come visit. If Angel needed you for something, the Council could get you here very quickly."

"So what, I just move in with you? Where do we live? In your bedroom with your parents down the hall?"

"The Council owns apartments. We could live in one of those," Anne said.

"And your parents are just going to allow this? They're going to let you move in with an older man who, oh by the way, happens to be Angel's son."

"They'll deal with it! Connor, I want to be with you. I don't care about anything that's in our way. We can deal with it. You just have to want to be with me, and we can make it happen."

Connor shook his head. She wasn't looking at this rationally, focusing instead on a naïve belief that everything could just magically fall in to place the way she wanted it. "God, Anne, grow up."

Anne's hurt from his words was clear on her face. "I'm not a child, Connor. I know there will be difficulties. But we fit so well. I'm not being naïve in believing we can work it out."

"Yeah, you really are." Connor stood. "You should get back to bed. You need your rest."

Anne looked up at him from the floor. "Please, Connor. Don't just walk away from this."

"I have to. We can't ever have anything together."

Anne pulled herself off the ground, wincing slightly in pain. "I'm so tired of this! One minute you want me, and the next you're making up excuses to try to keep me away!"

"They're not excuses! They're actual problems, and if you could act like an adult for five seconds, you'd so that."

Anne scoffed. "That is the second time tonight you've called me a child, which you know, is more than a little twisted seeing as what I did to you all of five minutes ago."

Connor swore under his breath. "Anne, this isn't about that…"

"What? I'm old enough for a fuck but not old enough for a relationship? Is that it?"

"No! You just…don't have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, okay?"

"No, it's not okay. I don't care about experience. I know what I'm feeling, Connor. I love you."

"Don't…don't say that. You just…" Connor stopped, looking down. "Go back to bed, Anne."

Anne fought the tears that threatened to spill, letting anger be the overriding emotion. It hurt too much for her to let Connor see what he'd done to her. "You are one cold bastard," she snapped. "I can see why your wife left you."

Anne saw the hurt she'd put in his eyes, saw how the words made him flinch, but she didn't care. Not now. She pushed past him and made her way back up the stairs.

Connor's shoulders slumped as he let her go.

* * *

Spike was frustrated. He and Angel had been gone for hours and they'd come up with nothing. Not even a trace of the demons that were hell-bent on killing his oldest child. Top that off with the fact that he'd had to spend all that time in Angel's company…

He walked into the lobby wanting nothing more than to check on Anne before taking a hot shower to wash off the Los Angeles grime. He'd forgotten just how much he didn't like this place.

And then it hit him. The scents had faded some, but were obviously recent enough to linger. They were clearly recognizable to his enhanced senses, and the implication that accompanied them made Spike's head spin. He thought back to the night before, and realized with a sinking feeling that his suspicions had been more correct than he'd wanted to believe.

"Spike, don't…"

Spike turned slowly towards Angel as he realized something else as well. "You knew. You knew what he was doing to my daughter…"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Stop it! Bloody hell, I sent her to you for protection, Angel! Not to shag your son!"

"I know! I asked Connor to stop, but…"

"But what? He didn't, so you just let him go right ahead and have an affair with a sixteen year old girl? Although I guess you wouldn't see anything wrong with that, given your track record."

"Look, Spike, Connor's an adult. I can't…"

"My daughter's not!" Spike yelled. "I can't believe you just sat back and let this happen! You sodding bastard! My little girl, and you let him…" Spike shook his head, pushing past Angel.

Angel ran in front of him. "Whoa. Where are you going?"

"To beat the crap out of your son."

"I can't let you do that, Spike."

"Yeah, don't remember asking you." Spike reared back and punched Angel hard, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Angel wiped the blood off his mouth as he got back to his feet. "Spike, stop. You don't need to hurt Connor."

"I sorta do," Spike called back, going up the stairs.

Angel ran after him, grabbing his arm. "You're not going to lay a hand on my son."

Spike turned, hitting Angel again and sending him down the stairs. "Stay out of my way, Angel. As far as I'm concerned, you're to blame for this, too."

"Look, there's things going on here that you don't understand."

"All I know is that he had sex with my little girl. Nothing else really matters."

Angel ran after Spike as he got to the top of the stairs. "Spike, I'm not letting you get to Connor."

"And I already told you, I wasn't asking you," Spike grabbed Angel by the lapels of his coat, throwing him back down the stairs before sprinting towards Connor's room.

* * *

Look at that…a cliffhanger. What makes me write the next chapter after one of those? Reviews!

This chapter has been edited for content.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Connor didn't have to ask what was going on when Spike burst into his room, grabbed him, and shoved him against the wall. He saw a flash of gold in the other man's eyes, and knew he wasn't going to get off with a warning.

"She's my little girl," Spike growled. "How _dare_ you touch her like that?"

Connor swallowed, unable to think of anything to say. Spike probably wanted to kill him, and Connor didn't blame him for it. He'd be feeling the same way if had a sixteen year old daughter and he found out she'd been sleeping with a man twenty years her senior. He knew he couldn't say he was sorry. And not just because it wouldn't be enough for Spike. Connor did feel guilty for sleeping with Anne when her age and his marriage were factors, but he couldn't bring himself to feel exactly apologetic. He knew if given the chance, he'd probably make the same decisions all over again.

Spike didn't wait for the answer Connor couldn't and didn't give. He threw him into the hall, then stalked towards where he'd landed. Connor pulled himself up, but made no further move as Spike lunged at him and pinned him against the wall. Connor didn't struggle, didn't fight back, even as Spike punched him in the face, leaving blood in the wake of his fist.

"You won't even defend yourself? Won't say anything—won't _do_ anything?"

"You're right," Connor said, wiping the blood from his mouth. "I slept with your daughter. I don't have a defense."

Spike roared, throwing Connor down the hall. He started towards him again when he stopped short, his eyes widening as he realized who was standing in his way. "Anne?"

"Stop this," Anne demanded. "_Now_."

Spike's jaw twitched. "He shouldn't have touched you."

"I wanted him to."

"That doesn't..." Spike stopped, his eyes closing for a moment before they opened and he spoke again. "That doesn't matter. You're sixteen years old. He should've known better." Spike started to go towards Connor again, but Anne kept herself in front of him so he couldn't.

"I won't let you hurt Connor," Anne said. "You'll have to fight me to get to him."

Spike froze, a look of shock and hurt on his face. "Annie..."

"I mean it."

Spike stepped back from her. "I know you do."

Anne went to Connor then, helping him to his feet. "I have to get him cleaned up," she said, helping him to the bedroom and shutting the door behind them.

Spike stared at the door, the urge to bust back in tempered by the fact that he knew Anne was serious about fighting to protect Connor. Nothing could get him to fight his own daughter, not even this. He turned around, glaring when he saw Angel behind him. "You got her," Spike accused.

"I did," Angel admitted.

"She shouldn't have gotten into this. I didn't want her here."

"And I didn't want you beating my son to a bloody pulp. I knew she could stop you."

"You still shouldn't have done it. I wouldn't have killed your boy." Spike walked past Angel.

"Where are you going?" Angel called after him.

"Out."

"Those demons are still looking for her. Shouldn't you be here in case she needs protection?"

Spike didn't stop walking as he replied. "She has Connor for that now."

* * *

"You don't have to do this," Connor said as Anne washed the blood from his face with a warm rag. 

"I know. I want to," Anne replied. "Besides, it was my father who hit you. And he did it because of me."

"You didn't have to come between us like that. He's your father. I know what you just did hurt him."

"It did. And it hurt me, too. But…but I couldn't let him do that to you. I told you I loved you, Connor, and I meant it." Anne wiped the last bit of blood from his mouth. "Besides, I knew he wouldn't fight me to get to you. It was just the one thing that would get him to stop. An impassioned 'but Daddy, I love him' plea wasn't going to cut it."

"What if he had been willing to fight you?" Connor asked.

"Wouldn't have happened," Anne replied. "For one thing, it would be pretty silly to hurt me so he could hurt you, since the whole attacking you thing was about defending me. But I know my father would never hurt me like that. Ever."

"Can't say the same for my father. He never misses a chance to smack me around. Not that I don't hit back, but still…"

"Well, he does tend to think along the same lines as an enraged bull half the time…" Anne said.

"So I've noticed," Connor replied dryly.

"Any other places busted up, or is it just the face?"

"He threw me around some, but that's the only hit that drew blood. Everything else is just sore." Connor winced. "Really sore."

Anne brushed his hair off his forehead. "Poor baby. You want me to get you something for the pain?"

"No. I just need some rest." Connor frowned. "You know, I would've thought you'd be more than willing to let me get my ass kicked after the way we left things in the lobby."

Anne shook her head. "No. I can forgive you for that. It hurt, but… I know why you said what you did."

"So you know I'm right?"

"No, I know you're wrong. But you're all injured now, so I'll let it slide." Anne went into the bathroom before he could respond, rinsing off the rag and stretching it out over the edge of the sink. When she came back, Connor was lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"You're sleeping in here tonight, aren't you," Connor said. It wasn't really a question.

"I was planning to. Figured it's probably safer for you if I do. He won't come after you if I'm here to get in the way."

"You still shouldn't."

"I know." Anne climbed into the bed, lying on her side with her head on Connor's chest. "I'm not mashing any of your bruises, am I?"

"No. You're fine where you are."

"Am I?" Anne asked, glancing up.

"Let's have this conversation when I didn't just have a blow to the head, okay?"

"Great," Anne muttered. "With you, that'll be like never."

Connor chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "Go to sleep, sweetheart."

Anne smiled, closing her eyes.

* * *

Connor woke up suddenly with the intuitive knowledge that something was wrong. 

He figured out exactly what that was pretty quickly as he saw a clawed hand coming down towards him. Connor grabbed the demon's arm, snapping it as he jumped out of the bed. The room was full of the robed demons, and he figured they must be capable of being quite stealthy if they'd gotten this close to him undetected.

Several of the demons charged him, but Connor didn't flinch. He'd fought enough of these by now to know their weaknesses. Even with their much higher numbers, he had no doubt that he'd be victorious.

"Connor!"

Connor's blood ran cold at the sound of Anne calling for him. He looked over to see two of the demons dragging Anne out of the room despite her struggles to get free. He tried to get to her, only to have the remaining demons all advance on him, keeping him away from the door. Connor's need to get Anne fueled his anger at the creatures who dared to keep him from his mate, and he fought with everything he had until he'd cleared a path through the door.

But it was too late.

Anne was gone.

* * *

Angel came downstairs to find Connor with the weapons cabinet open, sword in hand. 

"What's going on?" Angel asked. "I heard something happening down here and…" He stopped short as he caught sight of the several dead demons on the floor of the lobby. Or more like chunks of demons… They'd been torn apart. "What the hell happened?"

"They snuck in. There's more dead ones in the bedroom."

"If they're all dead, where are you going?"

Connor pulled out a dagger, sticking it in the holster on the side of his boot. "They took Anne. I'm going to get her back."

"Do you have any idea where they took her?" Angel asked.

"No. But I can track her. That's one scent I'd know anywhere," Connor shut the door to the weapons cabinet and headed towards the door.

"Whoa, wait just a minute," Angel said, running in front of his son. "You can't just barge out of here by yourself with no plan. You have no idea what you could be walking in to."

"I don't care. The last time those things were alone with Anne, they ripped into her. I'm not going to stand around here and wait while she could be dying."

"I don't think they're planning just to kill her," Angel said. "If that were the case, they wouldn't have bothered with taking her out of here."

"They're not dragging her off to a tea party, Angel. They want her dead. Whatever they're doing to her, it's bad, and I'm wasting time standing here debating this with you."

"Rushing in like this is just going to get you both killed. We need to find Spike. He left after he attacked you."

"Then he's gone. Anne doesn't have the time for us to be waiting around."

"You could cause more damage by rushing in like this."

"You'd do the same thing if it was Cordelia." Connor pushed past his father, continuing on his way towards the front door.

"Connor!" Angel called after him. "We'll save her, we just need to do this the right way."

"Your way isn't always the right way, Dad," Connor called back before walking out.

"Dammit…" Angel muttered, turning back towards the stairs. Cordy was on her way down, and met him halfway.

"What's going on? Why are there dead demons all over the place?" she asked.

"They came and took Anne. Connor's going after her."

"Oh god." Cordelia leaned against the railing. "He doesn't even know where they are, does he?"

"He's tracking her."

"This isn't good, Angel," Cordelia said, shaking her head.

Angel rested his hand on her shoulder. "Did you see something?"

"No. I just have a feeling." She met his eyes. "Something bad is going to happen."

"Do you have any idea what?" Angel asked with a frown.

"No. Just…" Cordelia paled. "Connor…no. That can't be right…"

Angel gripped Cordelia's arms with both hands. "Cordy, what is it? Are you seeing something now?"

"It's not clear. But he's in trouble, Angel. You have to…" Cordelia trailed off.

"Have to what? Cordy, what…"

"Angel…behind you."

Angel turned slowly, finding his lobby quickly filling with demons. "We won't let you interfere with our plans for the vessel," one hissed.

"I'm thinking they'd changed their no attacking anyone who isn't Anne or Connor policy," Angel said, turning his body so he was guarding Cordelia.

"Looks like. You up for a fight, Champ?"

"Always."

Connor could see the demons making their way into the Hyperion, but he didn't stop. Cordelia and Angel could handle themselves, he knew. Anne was his priority.

He stayed to the shadows, moving quickly to stay undetected by the demons. He didn't have time to fight his way out of there. Instead, he breathed in deep, catching Anne's scent.

Luckily for him, the demons seemed to be traveling by foot. It kept the trail fresh and also let him know that wherever they were taking her, it wasn't far from there. Shouldn't take him long to find them at all.

He'd get her to safety, and then he'd kill every single one of them, no matter how many there were.

Nothing was going to stand between him and his mate.

* * *

Another cliffhanger… What do you think of that? 

Just a little note on something I was seeing a lot of in reviews from the last chapter. Yes, part of Anne's insistence that they can make it is because of her age. But a lot of it is coming from the fact that she not only knows of a prophecy that most likely links her to Connor, but was told by a psychic higher being that she and Connor have a future together. That's why she's convinced that they can work things out. She's been told as much by what she believes to be a reliable source. Hope that clears things up for everybody!

Also, I wrote a little drabble today that fans of this fic might be interested in. It's called "As She Lays Sleeping," and can be found on my profile.

And, as always, please, please review.


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